Cuts to school funding over the last decade and a half have cost pupils £5,000 each in lost education, new research reveals.
Published by the public sector union UNISON, the research shows that schooling cuts mean a pupil who started school in England in 2010 has lost out on £5,384 of education funding by the time they graduate sixth form this year.
Between 2010/11 and 2022/23, spending per pupil fell from £7,274 to £6,982 – a drop of 4%, according to the analysis by Landman Economics This means many hundreds of pounds less spent on each student every year relative to 2010 funding levels.
In addition to significant cuts to funding per pupil, schools have seen capital spending on school buildings decline by 37% in cash terms and 50% in real terms.
UNISON head of education Mike Short: ‘It is deeply unfair that today’s cohort of young people will leave school this summer after losing out on thousands of pounds’ worth of education. They have studied in buildings long past their best before date, with fewer resources to help them learn and less support from staff.’
