William Eichler 18 March 2016

£560m ‘black hole’ in chancellor’s school plans

The chancellor’s plan to transform every school into an academy faces a £560m funding shortage, according to a new analysis.

In his Budget speech on Wednesday, George Osborne declared his intention to convert every primary and secondary school in the country into an academy by 2020.

‘We are going to complete the task,’ he said, ‘of setting schools free from local education bureaucracy, and we’re going to do it in this Parliament.’

An analysis of his plan by Labour shows, however, the schools system is facing a black hole of £560m.

There are 15,632 schools in England that are not yet academies, and the costs for conversion to academy status is £44,837.

There is, however, only £140m allocated to academisation, which leaves a shortfall of £560m.

‘The chancellor’s plans for education are unravelling,’ Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for education, said.

‘Schools are already facing an 8% cut to their budgets, the first time education spending has fallen since the mid-1990s.

‘This half a billion pound black hole in the education budget means that schools will be further out of pocket as a result.’

‘The chancellor needs to come clean about where this money is going to come from,’ she added.

Council leaders have also issued warnings about the plans, saying the move 'defied reason'.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Educational Psychologist

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
£45,586-£61,664
Join Our Values-Driven Psychology Service in Sandwell as an Educational and Child Psychologist Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Quantity Surveyor

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Band G, SCP32 - 37 (£42,839 - £48,226) per annum
There is an excellent opportunity to join the Quantity Surveying team within the Asset Management Directorate of Sandwell MBC. Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Highways Technical Assistant

North Yorkshire Council
£29,064 - £31,537 per annum
Would you like to be part of one of our friendly, welcoming Highways teams, who are proud to manage all aspects of the highway network? Kirby Misperton, Malton
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Registration Officer

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
£31,537 - £36,363
In this role, you will enjoy working with customers, delivering great customer service in a busy front-line environment. Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Digital and Automation Analyst

North Yorkshire Council
£38,220-£42,839
Are you passionate about improving digital services for everyone? Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council
Linkedin Banner