Larger classes, fewer teachers, dilapidated buildings and safety concerns - these are some of the real impacts on children that "inadequate funding" to schools in Wales is having, governing bodies warn. In a stark and unusual public message they say school budgets are are at “crisis point”.
Governors are calling on the Welsh Government to “urgently review” the situation saying children’s education and safety is at risk with less staff, larger classes and a reduced curriculum. After months of similar comments from teachers, school leaders, unions and others governing bodies have come together to launch a petition to draw attention to what they say is a Wales-wide problem.
They say lack of money to schools is having a “grave” impact on pupils with “poorer teaching and learning, poorer buildings, safety concerns and staff burnout”. The petition launched by chairs of school governor associations throughout Wales already has more than 600 signatures less than 24 hours after launching. In response, the Welsh Government said it was prioritising education despite its budget being hit by inflation.
Read more: The amount spent on each child's education in Wales has barely risen in more than a decade
The governors' warning comes after the headteacher of one of Wales' most successful schools warned pupils were being "set up to fail" because there isn't enough cash. Patrick Brunnock, head of Cardiff's high-performing Corpus Christi High School, has had to cut 16 members of staff, specialist staff are being shed, and four subject choices, including music, have gone.
Schools are not generally permitted by local education authorities to operate with a deficit budget and must make cuts to remain in the black. But money is so tight with spiralling bills in the cost of living crisis - coupled with falling pupil numbers in some areas - that councils across Wales have had little choice but allow deficits to be posted.
Longstanding school governor, Cllr Don Milne, chair of Conwy Governors Association and chair of the group of association chairs from around Wales, said: “I have been in contact with my opposite numbers across Wales and found widespread financial problems affecting schools across all authorities. I believe that the issue needs to be addressed at the highest of levels.
“Over recent years the funding of education in Wales has seriously declined in real terms. This has now reached a crisis point.”
He said that across Wales “many schools are having to set budget deficits” by arranging loans from their local authorities. In normal circumstances schools are not allowed to set such deficits and such arrangements are only “short term plasters on a growing sore”.
Cllr Milne, a former Conwy County councillor and now an independent Llandudno town councillor said headteachers are trying to balance their books by making redundancies and not replacing staff who leave. This means less support for pupils, especially those with additional learning needs as well as reduced choice in the curriculum, he said.
"That directly impacts three of the Welsh Government’s key reforms - the new curriculum, the Additional Learning Needs Bill and work to boost the Welsh language.
“Fewer staff mean larger classes. Larger classes mean less individual contact with pupils,” said Cllr Milne. And with some local authorities already saying there will have to be further cuts next year the situation will only get worse,
Any reserves schools held for unexpected emergencies are being used to get through this year. With those reserves gone there won’t be any left to “prop-up the school finances or repay any loans taken out this year”.
The online petition, titled “Review the Inadequate Funding for Schools in Wales”, states: “Many schools have set deficit budgets for 2023-24 financial year. More, perhaps most schools will be posting deficit budgets for 2024-25. The impacts on children in Welsh Schools are grave – poorer teaching and learning, poorer buildings, safety concerns and staff burnout.
It states the impacts of low funding on children in Welsh schools are:
• Reduction in the quality of learning & teaching
• Increased adult/learner ratios
• Health & safety -less adult supervision, for example at lunchtime and breaks
• Fewer support staff, meaning that children with Additional Learning Needs are at risk of not receiving the help they need.
• Fewer adults in classrooms putting everyone at risk.
• Fewer teachers – either through non-replacement or redundancies.
• Less maintenance on buildings leading to safety concerns
• Increased stress on Headteachers and Senior staff, leading to increased sickness absence and burn-out.
"At the same time schools are struggling to implement educational reforms. We urge the Welsh Government to urgently review the level of funding for Education for this and next financial years. Our children deserve the best education and must not suffer through funding cuts."
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "Despite our budget this year being up to £900m lower in real terms than expected initially, we ensured local authorities, who fund schools, received an increase of 7.9% to their budgets compared to the previous year so that they can continue to prioritise school funding."
In Wales' biggest local education authority dozens of schools have set deficit budgets. Cardiff secondary heads said in a joint statement: “Already this year the measures we have taken (to meet costs) will significantly negatively impact pupils and disproportionately affect vulnerable learners. Standards will drop.”
The comments and petition follow months of warnings about redundancies in schools across Wales, partly as a result of Covid recovery grants from Welsh Government ending and budgets not meeting spiralling costs. A number of schools in different areas have announced job cuts and one – Stanwell School in Penarth – has been given an emergency payment to stay afloat.
Vale of Glamorgan Governors Association has claimed the low level of funding from Welsh Government may be unlawful, education will suffer and schools will have no choice but to make staff redundant.
A survey of headteachers in Wales last autumn found most schools were considering, or making, job cuts. The National Association of Headteachers Cymru surveyed 670 school leaders and found many are "desperate" to cut costs - with 73% of headteachers asked saying they would have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours, and 61% saying they were looking to cut the number of teachers or teaching hours, in order to save funds.
Schools are not generally permitted by local education authorities to operate with a deficit budget and must make cuts to remain in the black. But money is so tight with spiralling bills in the cost of living crisis, coupled with falling pupil numbers in some areas, schools across Wales are being allowed to post deficits.
The petition can be seen here. 250 signatures places the petition in front of the Senedd Petitions Committee. 10,000 signatures triggers a Senedd debate.
