Half of England’s state secondaries forced to cut staff in budget squeeze, poll finds

The proportion of secondary heads cutting teachers has gone up from 38% in 2024 to 51%, according to a survey of 1,200 teachers across 1,000 schools in England. Photograph: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Half of secondary schools in England have been forced to cut staff this year due to financial pressures that are pushing many “towards breaking point”, according to polling.

As well as cuts to teaching and support personnel, there has been a marked increase in the proportion of secondary school leaders having to reduce subject choice at GCSE to save money, while extracurricular activities, school trips and investment in IT have also been hit.