Today (Wed 25 Nov) the Chancellor of the Exchequer laid out the government’s spending priorities for the next twelve months.

In response, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Keeping schools open is leaving school leaders frayed and exhausted. Today they and other public sector workers were looking for relief from the government. But the Chancellor has not provided a single additional penny to cope with the costs of Covid.

“Salaries are being supressed, Covid-costs are being left unmet and the needs of the most vulnerable students are being ignored.

“Undoubtedly the costs of Covid have been significant, but hard-working public sector workers, who have been on the front line of the pandemic response should not be forced to pay for the recovery out of their own pockets.

“The government’s decision on pay locks in the real-terms wage losses of the last decade. It flies in the face of what the government acknowledged twelve months ago – that ten years of holding back teachers’ and leaders’ pay had had a disastrous effect on recruitment and retention.

“NAHT’s submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review laid out eight priorities for the government. Today’s announcement is a very unwelcome cocktail of missed opportunities to provide support for the essential work of schools. School leaders will be justifiably furious about this.”

NAHT’s spending priorities:

• Fully reimburse the additional costs schools, colleges and nurseries have faced, and will continue to face, as a result of implementing Covid-19 safety measures outlined in government guidance. 
• Build on the additional funding announced for schools in September 2019 in order to deliver on the government’s stated priority of ensuring every young person receives a ‘superb education’. 
• Urgently address the SEND funding crisis
• Reverse the real-terms cuts to pupil premium rates
• Provide a long-term, sustainable funding formula for maintained nursery schools
• Increase the Early Years pupil premium to work towards parity with the primary pupil premium
• Fully funded investment in teachers’ and leaders’ salaries
• Ensure that capital funding is sufficient to properly maintain and repair the school estate
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Press and Media contacts:

Steven George
NAHT Head of Press and Media
01444 472886
07970 907730

Rose Tremlett 
Senior Press Officer 
07545 354363

Email : press.office@naht.org.uk