Ahead of the Autumn Budget, school leaders from every region in England raise the alarm about the impact of school cuts – and ask the Prime Minister to turn a new page 

250 headteachers from across England have united in an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, demanding the government restore £4.5 billion in real-terms funding lost to state school budgets since 2010.

Handed into No. 10 Downing Street ahead of the Autumn Budget, the open letter represents school leaders whose institutions have suffered a combined funding shortfall of approximately £108 million over the past 16 years.

What headteachers say

These heads have experienced the worst effects of chronic underfunding in education. Many have been forced to cut vital teachers and support staff.

Here are just some what they’re facing as they work to keep their schools functioning:

Jan Conley, Headteacher of St Finbar’s Catholic Primary School in Liverpool said: 

“We are financially and literally on our knees. Every staff member holds upwards of three areas of responsibility; which is not sustainable over the long-term.”

Corinne Benham-Smith, Headteacher of Priory Rise School in Milton Keynes said: 

“The lack of money is suffocating creativity, damaging outcomes, and means that children are not having their needs fully met at the youngest level. As this is the future workforce, this is incredibly short-sighted.”

Amanda Cronshaw, Headteacher of Sabden Primary School in Lancashire said:

“I am the headteacher of a small rural primary school – the building is falling to bits around us and, because the level of pupil premium is low, my budget is very low. I am worried that I will have to cut jobs in order to pay for the school roof to be mended, as the Victorian slates are letting water in and the ceiling of the Year 5/6 classroom is about to fall in.”

Julia Polley, Headteacher of  Wensleydale School in Yorkshire  said: “As a Headteacher for 11 years in North Yorkshire and a catchment area of 800km, it is an outrage that I have had to cut staffing so drastically. I teach, undertake all duties including an hour and half daily duty at break, all bus duties morning and afternoon. It’s all down to me, without enough Teaching Assistants for SEND provision, which is 8 times the national average in my school. It is a disgrace.”

Jen Ryder, Headteacher of Woodside Academy in Essex said: 

“Funding cuts are making it impossible to do our job and impossible for me to sleep at night.”

School Cuts by the numbers

• £4.5 billion: Total real-terms shortfall across state schools in England since 2010.
• 74% of schools in England have less funding in real terms than in 2010. Broken down, that’s 70% of primary schools and 92% of secondary schools. 
• 14,053 schools have less funding in real terms than in 2010.
• 1,323 schools have lost more than £1 million in real terms.
• Since 2010, schools in England have lost £598 per pupil in real terms funding.
• Mainstream schools’ core funding has fallen from £7,708 per pupil in 2010 to £7,110 per pupil in 2026, in real terms.
• 150 local authorities have less funding in real terms than in 2010 

What we’re asking for

Headteachers are standing up to say enough is enough. 

Sixteen years of real-terms cuts have left our school communities at breaking point, with school leaders forced into impossible daily choices. 

Selling education short is a budget decision that will only hurt this country in the long run. If we are looking to the future, we must give every child the foundation they need to become adults. Building the confidence to succeed, adapt and pursue opportunities in our changing world is a worthy objective that needs proper funding.

The Chancellor and the Prime Minister must use this Autumn Budget to deliver real change, restore the £4.5 billion lost to school budgets, and lay strong foundations for our children’s future.