Local schools will face a reduction in spending power over the coming year, according to the Liberal Democrats.
The Lichfield branch of the party say Staffordshire schools will face the equivalent of a £172 fall in funding per pupil in 2024-25 compared to the previous year.
Figures from the National Education Union say that 340 of the county’s 370 schools will see their spending power reduced.
Cllr Paul Ray, Lib Dem leader at Lichfield District Council, said:
“This Conservative government has failed Lichfield’s children.
“Parents in our community should not have to send their children to schools which have had their funding decimated by a Conservative government that has lost interest in providing high-quality education.
“Investing in education is investing in our future, but this Conservative government has let school buildings crumble and overseen a severe shortage of teachers in Lichfield and throughout the country.
“Far from preparing the next generation for the future, this Conservative government have totally abandoned them.
“It needs to urgently look at increasing school funding and so as to ensure that youngsters in our district get the high standard of education they deserve.”
Cllr Paul Ray, Lichfield District Council
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that school spend per pupil in England had fallen by 9% in real terms from 2009 to 2020.
“This reflects a 1% real-terms increase in total spending on schools, which was more than outweighed by an 11% increase in pupil numbers.
“The core schools budget is now due to rise from £52.6 billion in 2019–20 to £58.6 billion in 2024–25 (in today’s prices).
“This funding increase will reverse past cuts and we estimate that school spending per pupil in 2024 will return to 2010 levels in real terms based on standard measures of economy-wide inflation.
“The costs faced by schools – such as teacher and support staff salaries – are growing faster than economy-wide inflation.”
Institute for Fiscal Studies
The IFS added that school costs were expected to rise by 7% this year and a further 4% for 2024-25.
“This is just about matched by 4% growth in total funding. After accounting for growth in schools’ costs, we estimate that the purchasing power of school budgets in 2024 will still be about 4% lower than in 2010.”
Institute for Fiscal Studies