BUDGETS


Ray Barker, director of BESA, takes a look at the recent


government announcements and funding cuts and considers the impact that this will have on our schools


N The first cut


During the first round of funding cuts announced by the chancellor in June, the Department for Education (DfE) was told to reduce departmental budget spending by 25 per cent. Becta, the government’s department responsible for


ICT in schools and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency were two of the first government quangos to go. The sector’s natural concern was that the demise of


Becta would mark a lack of commitment to funding for ICT in education.


Round two


At the end of May, the new academies – aimed at a very different school audience from the Labour academy programme – were announced.


EW SCHOOL uniforms, new books and new shoes all see in the new school term. However, this year, for the first time in 13 years, we also have a new government and with it comes inevitable education sector funding cuts.


At the British Educational Suppliers’ Association,


we work with schools, suppliers and the government to raise standards in education and as such we keep a careful eye on all such changes. To my mind, all the recent government


announcements bring a radically different approach to what “education” means.


external providers who are being given the opportunity to start the new “free schools”. Free schools are operated on the same basis as


academies – state-funded but outside local authority control – and can be set-up by consortia of parents, teachers, charities, businesses or other organisations in response to local demand. The first 16 “free schools” to be set up have now


been named by Mr Gove and they include only four secondary schools and one all-through school. A very small first swathe and it will be interesting to see how they fair and how many will follow.


Curriculum


Outside of funding changes, we are now also faced with curriculum changes. All restrictions on secondary state schools that


Taking stock The Academies Act passed in July promised


“outstanding” schools the chance to fast-track to academy status by this term. Of the 1,568 schools that requested further


information on the programme, more than half were rated “outstanding” by inspectors, meaning their application could have been fast-tracked. However, only 32 of these schools have actually switched to academy status this month. There is a serious worry that inequalities in the


education system will be widened as these schools draw on the resources of the academy system. However the government has argued this view. In terms of funding, the publicised advantage is


that the new academies will receive more funding as they opt out of local authority control by having 100 per cent of the government’s funding rather than the 90 per cent given previously. However, schools are very aware that there will be more costs involved in running an academy, as many costs previously centrally paid for by the local authority will have to be met by the academy.


Round three


By early July, schools received the devastating news that the Building Schools for the Future Programme


(BSF), established to rebuild or refurbish run-down schools, was to be scrapped. Although approximately 500 BSF building projects


already under way are expected to be completed, the remainder of the programme will be stopped. This is naturally disastrous news for hundreds of


thousands of teachers, parents and pupils who had been expecting this much-needed investment in 21st century facilities for children to learn. However, in July, education secretary Michael


Gove, said: “It is quite wrong to say that schools which are falling down or in a bad state of repair won’t get cash. We will prioritise those schools which are dilapidated and really need cash. But we’ll make sure that the money they get comes without strings attached.” We wait and hope. In terms of current spending, BESA has watched the


market closely over the past few years and noticed the increasing trend for schools to hold back on investing in new products and resources due to the anticipated BSF refurbishment or rebuild. As such, since the demise of BSF we expect to see schools resume their investments.


More autonomy?


The future does appear to be a picture of more autonomy for headteachers, and parents, charities and


prevented them from offering iGCSE qualifications have been lifted. Meanwhile, the new science, humanities and languages Diplomas that were due to be rolled out in September 2011 have now been stopped. Instead, effort will be directed towards other qualifications within these subject areas. Given that the first set of Diploma qualifications were


only launched two years ago, there remains significant uncertainty about its future role in secondary education, although schools minister Nick Gibb has emphasised twice in public statements that the qualifications have a future, saying there “will be a place for the Diploma courses as long as there is demand for it”. Further announcements about the proposed


slimming down of the national curriculum are expected to be made in the autumn. Although not linked to funding changes, the theme


of giving more power to teachers is expected to continue in the Education and Children’s Bill which is to be announced in the autumn. The coalition government has said part of the Bill will be about putting heads and teachers back in control, giving them a range of new powers to deal with bullies and the most disruptive pupils. Heads will be able to take a zero-tolerance approach and will have the final say, we have been told.


Where now?


The October 20 Comprehensive Spending Review is just around the corner and will give us a better idea of how much is to be invested in education for the next three years, and what this will mean for schools. SecEd


• Ray Barker is the director of the British Educational Suppliers Association. Visit www.besa.org.uk


Your leading Educational Supplier for handheld graphing technology!


01869 344500 www.studentcalculators.co.uk SecEd • September 16 2010 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16