Sharp increase in school leaders reporting spending cuts, with primary schools hit hardest by funding pressures

Half of schools are using funding intended for disadvantaged pupils to plug general budget gaps

Three quarters (74%) of primary school headteachers report having to reduce the number of teaching assistants at their school this year, according to new polling released today. This is despite increases in pupils with Special Educational Needs, with an increase of 19%* needing extra support in schools since 2019. The survey of 1,282 teachers, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) for the Sutton Trust as part of their Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey, reveals a worsening picture of schools funding, with growing staff cuts along with reductions in spending for a range of activities in schools.

The proportion of senior leaders reporting cuts in teaching staff (32%), teaching assistants (69%) and support staff (46%) has increased since 2023. While reports of cuts to teaching assistant posts were highest in primary schools, more secondary school senior leaders report cuts to teaching (38%) and support staff (51%). Schools in the North East were the most likely to have reduced teaching staff, at 45% compared to between 16%-36% in other regions.

The proportion of schools cutting spending on trips and outings (50%) and sports and other extracurricular activities (27%) is at the highest level since the Sutton Trust’s polling began in 2017, indicating mounting funding pressures across the board. Headteachers in primary schools were the most likely to report cuts in sports and extracurricular activities, with almost a third reporting this (29%). Over half (51%) of school leaders report cuts to IT equipment, with the highest levels again in primary schools, at 53% compared to 36% of those in secondary schools.

The proportion of senior leaders reporting using pupil premium funding to plug gaps elsewhere in their school’s budget has reached 50% in primary schools and 47% among all senior leaders, up from 42% and 41% respectively last year, and the highest seen in this polling since the question was first introduced in 2017. Pupil premium is extra funding provided to schools to support disadvantaged pupils.

Reflecting the deterioration of funding for the National Tutoring Programme this year, the use of NTP funding in schools was down slightly on last year, with 47% of senior leaders saying they used it over the last year for either tuition partners, academic mentors or for school-led tutoring sourced locally, compared to 52% in 2023. The NTP was set up in the wake of the pandemic to help pupils catch up with lost learning. Although gaps in attainment between the most and least disadvantaged pupils are now at their widest in more than a decade, the government has failed to commit any dedicated funding for the NTP in the next academic year.

The Sutton Trust has called for a new national strategy to close the attainment gap, including a fully-funded tutoring programme targeted to disadvantaged pupils, tackling the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, reforming the national funding formula to ensure schools facing the highest needs have adequate funding, and restoring Pupil Premium funding to previous levels in real terms.

Sir Peter Lampl, Founder of the Sutton Trust and Founder of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“The erosion of schools funding coupled with rising costs is having a major impact on the ability of schools to provide the support that low-income students need. It’s disgraceful that increasing numbers of school leaders are having to cut essential staff and essential co-curricular activities. The situation for primary schools in particular, is one of rapid deterioration, with half of them having to use funding to plug gaps that should be used for poorer pupils.

“It’s extremely short sighted to remove funding for the National Tutoring Programme when half of schools are using it, and when there is extensive evidence that it works. The government’s rhetoric on education being a priority is a sham.  School funding is inadequate and has to be urgently reviewed.”

Notes to editors

• The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is a leading independent provider of education research. The NFER runs Teacher Voice Omnibus Surveys three times a year, in the autumn, spring and summer terms. The robust survey achieves responses from over 1,000 practising teachers from schools in the publicly funded sector in England. The panel is representative of teachers from the full range of roles in primary and secondary schools, from head teachers to newly qualified class teachers. 1,282 practising teachers in the publicly funded sector in England completed the survey online between 8-13 March 2024.
• *Special educational needs in England, Academic year 2022/23 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

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