‘Major’ increase in cash-strapped schools axing staff, NFER poll finds

The number of school leaders axing teaching staff, teaching assistants and support staff has risen against last year amid financial constraints, according to a new poll from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) for the Sutton Trust.The survey of 1,208 teachers revealed sharper cuts than 2024, with growing staff reductions along with cuts in spending for a range of courses. Secondary schools appeared to be the worst affected, with 51% of secondary school senior leaders reporting making cuts in teaching staff, up from 38% last year. Meanwhile 50% of secondary schools reported cuts to teaching assistants, up from 41% last year, while 55% reported further cuts to support staff, up from 51%. According to Sutton Trust, these figures are the highest they’ve been since 2020, and cuts at primary schools are at their highest since the Sutton Trust began polling this issue in 2017. The survey also found a “marked increase” in the number of secondary school senior leaders having to reduce the choices they offer at GCSE (33%, up from 29% last year) and A level (29%, up from 23%). Some 88% of senior leaders across all schools said the pupil premium, which is extra funding provided to schools to support disadvantaged pupils, is less than they need to serve those pupils. Sutton Trust said that “most concerning of all”, there has been a 13% rise in the proportion of secondary school leaders reporting using the pupil premium to plug gaps elsewhere in their school’s budget since 2024, rising from 32% to 45%. This is the highest result since this polling question was first asked in 2017. In addition, the survey found that 53% of all school leaders are cutting spending on trips and outings, up from 50% last year, while 33% of school leaders have reported cuts to sports and other extracurricular activities, up from 27%. This was again the highest level since 2017. The number of secondary school leaders reporting cuts to IT equipment has risen from 36% to 48%, although primary school leaders are still cutting more (56%). Elsewhere, 37% of senior leaders across both secondary and primary schools have stopped offering tutoring to pupils since 2024, after the previous Government’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) ended last summer. Last year, 51% of senior leaders were still using this scheme for either tuition partners, academic mentors or for school-led tutoring sourced locally. In light of these findings, the Sutton Trust is calling for a “new national strategy to close the attainment gap”, including restoring the pupil premium in real terms, as its value has fallen by 20% since 2014/15. Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said: “State schools are overwhelmed with financial pressures, and many are rapidly heading towards breaking point. This is having a devastating impact on their ability to provide the support that the most disadvantaged pupils need, with almost half of secondary school leaders forced to use funding intended for poorer pupils to plug budget holes. “If action isn’t taken, we’ll be failing the next generation. School funding must be protected in the forthcoming Spending Review if the Government is serious about breaking down barriers to opportunity. Urgent action is needed, starting with carefully targeted measures to rebalance funding towards schools in the most deprived areas.”