Welcome investment but falls short on recovery say school leaders

Commenting as the government today set out its spending plans for the next few years, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The additional recovery funding announced today is welcome, though it falls far short of the £13-15bn independent experts have said is needed.

“Children and young people have been hugely affected by the pandemic. The government has made bold claims about ‘levelling up’ and ‘no child left behind’. The investment announced today doesn’t meet those goals or the futures needs of the country.

“The increase in per pupil spending announced by the government takes us back to 2010 levels. This is no proud boast, as it represents a failure to invest in children’s futures for over a decade.

“Schools will do their best with what they are given, as they always do. It is important that schools are able to spend recovery money flexibly on the programmes they know work best for the children in most need in their schools.

“Two of the biggest areas of concern for schools are special educational needs funding and children’s mental health. The government urgently needs to publish the findings of their SEND review and commit the money needed to address the SEND crisis in schools. It is unacceptable that two years on from starting the review, the government has still not taken any action.

“Overall, this is a much-needed investment for schools, but it still doesn’t fully recognise that education is an investment in not only our children’s life chances, but in the nation’s future.”

NAHT represents more than 34,399 school leaders in early years, primary, secondary and special schools, making us the largest association for school leaders in the UK.