More school governing boards than ever before say balancing the books is their biggest challenge – with over one in 10 needing loans or council support to stay afloat.
Many of these said adequate funding for SEND was a key issue, while one in five say the extra services they are providing those in need are putting them under “unsustainable” strain.
The findings are from the latest National Governance Association annual survey of more than 3,000 governors and trustees.
Sam Henson, NGA’s deputy CEO, said: “This year’s findings confirm what governing boards have been telling us for some time – school finances are no longer just under pressure, but at breaking point.”
Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed said “balancing the budget” was a main challenge. The figure is 8 percentage points up on last year and the highest NGA has recorded in the last 15 years.
Only 16% ‘financially sustainable’
Thirty per cent “are unable to balance income and expenditure without drawing on surplus from previous years”. A further 11 per cent said they would dip into the red “without [a] licensed deficit from the local authority” or a government loan.
Just 16 per cent believe their school or trust is “financially sustainable”. Staff pay (75 per cent), SEND costs (69 per cent) and projected pupil numbers (39 per cent) were the other main pressures on budgets.
NGA is calling for government to reinvest “funding released by falling rolls to secure increased per-pupil and pupil premium allocations”.
Sixty-three per cent of boards listed SEND as a top challenge, compared to 37 per cent last year. The main issues associated with this were accessing funding (84 per cent) and securing education, health and care plans (67 per cent).
Just over half reported a rise in the additional services their schools or trusts are offering to support families, with 20 per cent saying this is “placing unsustainable pressure” on their organisations.
“Without urgent action,” Henson added, “we risk not only damaging the working conditions of staff and the learning experience of pupils but also eroding the ability of schools and trusts to meet the needs of their communities.”
The survey also suggested decisions around converting to join a MAT “are being made with increasing caution and discernment”, with only 15 per cent planning to move into one and 13 per cent “unsure”.
Your thoughts