Three fifths of governing boards are concerned about being able to balance their budget, with getting support for children with special educational needs (SEND) a growing challenge.
The findings come from the latest National Governance Association annual survey of more than 3,000 governors and trustees.
Sam Henson, deputy CEO of the NGA, said the results of the survey “are deeply concerning”.
“Schools and trusts are facing unprecedented financial pressures, and the fact that 60 per cent are unable to balance their budgets is alarming.
“It is crucial that we address these issues head-on, with increased support and funding to ensure our schools can continue to provide high-quality education.”
Here’s what we learned…
1. Balancing budget ‘top challenge’
Respondents were asked to name the top three challenges they faced in their roles.
Sixty per cent said balancing their budget, up from 52 per cent last year and 44 per cent the year before. The NGA said this was the highest proportion since its survey began.
Just 19 per cent of respondents said they perceived themselves as financially sustainable in the medium to long-term. Last year this stood at 18 per cent.
2. Some schools suffering more than others
But the financial strain is “not evenly distributed across the education sector, with nursery and primary schools reporting more challenges”, the NGA found.
Those governing in maintained schools “appear to be facing the greatest challenge with balancing the budget (46 per cent), compared to 29 per cent of MAT trustees”.
But this “may partly be explained by far more primaries being maintained schools compared to secondary”.
3. Fears over SEND skyrocket
The proportion of respondents citing support for children with SEND as a top challenge leapt from 24 per cent last year to 37 per cent this year.
It means the issue leapfrogged attendance to become the second most cited challenge for governors and trustees.
Asked what was posing the greatest challenge in providing support, 74 per cent said access to funding, up from 66 per cent last year.
4. Falling rolls hit finances
Primary pupil numbers nationally have been falling for several years, and secondary numbers will soon peak and start to drop off.
Because funding is allocated on a per-pupil basis, schools with falling rolls receive less funding each year.
Thirty-nine per cent of respondents to the NGA survey said their finances had been impacted by falling rolls, and 23 per cent said they had not been impacted but were worried about the issue in the near future.
There was more concern among primary schools (45 per cent) than secondary schools (23 per cent).
5. Half say support for families has increased
Schools Week has reported extensively on the increasing trend of schools providing support to hard-up families as other services around them crumble, despite their own budget woes.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents to the NGA’s survey reported that their school had increased the additional support offered to pupils and their families in the past year.
The most common support was pre-loved or second-hand uniform provision (75 per cent), wraparound before and after school care (62 per cent) and breakfast provision (52 per cent).
6. Governance still has an age and ethnicity problem
The proportion of respondents aged 60 and over has reached its highest level since the survey began.
Fifty-two per cent of governors are now 60 and above, it suggests, while over 9 per cent are under 40 and just 1 per cent are under 30.
The NGA said the “significant underrepresentation of younger perspectives in school and trust governance” continued.
Of those who disclosed their ethnicity, 95 per cent identified as white, “underscoring the stubborn lack of ethnic diversity in governance roles and the risk that boards are often not reflective of the communities they serve”.
The recommendations
- Prioritise financial sustainability by reallocating funds from falling rolls to pupil premium and per-pupil funding
- Invest in school buildings
- Reform SEND funding
- Address SEND provision gaps using the SEND green paper and improve training for mainstream staff
- Combat child poverty and expand family services by tackling unmet needs beyond breakfast clubs
- Develop creative staffing solutions for teacher shortages and falling pupil numbers
- Invest in governance by raising its profile, promoting diversity, and supporting governors and trustees
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