Recommendation 3

We are concerned that financial pressures faced by schools could damage children’s education. Research by Ofsted in 2019 found that a high proportion of headteachers reported reducing staffing levels, narrowing the curriculum and changing how they support pupils with SEND because of financial pressures. We have heard similar examples of our own local schools having to curtail provision, such as cutting teaching assistants, to balance the books. Some of these actions risk harming education. The Department asserts that pupil-teacher ratios and the hours taught in different subjects have remained largely stable at national level. It acknowledges, however, that there is cause for concern about a small number of subjects, such as design technology. We also note that the pupil-teacher ratio has in fact risen in secondary schools. The Department’s school resource management initiatives aim to help schools to squeeze non-staff spending rather than cutting back on education provision. To date, however, it has not properly researched the impact of cost pressures on schools. The ESFA has now committed to carrying out its own study to assess the impact on provision of the measures adopted by schools in response to financial pressures. Recommendation: In carrying out its research, the ESFA should collect sufficient, reliable evidence on the impact of financial pressures on schools at local level, including on whether they are leading to schools narrowing their curriculum and reducing staffing. The Department should set out, in its Treasury Minute response, when it plans to publish the results of the ESFA’s research.