ASCL Cymru position statements

What is the context?
School funding in Wales is systemically broken. Too little is allocated to education and which is allocated is not ringfenced. There is no parity across funding in Wales and schools are expected to deliver too much with too little. Funding is reactionary and short term.

In response to Dylan Jones' review of the middle tier, school leaders stated they felt deep frustrations with the grant funding process - the bureaucracy associated with it and uncertainty it causes for school leaders. They also sought transparency around the funding process and delegation to schools. Despite the changes made to complex grant streams, there is still no equity of funding.

There are 22 local authorities in Wales, all with different and historically complex funding formulae, meaning there is no equity in the funding of schools in Wales. 78% of secondary schools receive less than £6,390 stated in Local authority budgeted expenditure on schools: April 2024 to March 2025 which states:

• Schools’ expenditure is budgeted to be £3,591 million, an increase of 7.4% over the previous year.
• Schools' expenditure per pupil is budgeted to be £7,926, a year-on-year increase of 8.2% or £599.
• The budget per pupil can be broken down into £6,390 per pupil delegated to schools and £1,536 per pupil retained for centrally funded school services.

ASCL position: ASCL Cymru believes that within Wales there should be: 
-    A single national funding formula

• fairly funding all schools, to an adequate level, that allows our curriculum to be delivered effectively
• directly from Welsh Government 
• providing parity in educational offer across Wales

-    Enhanced funding through direct grant funding to learners and mitigate for:

• Poverty
• Additional need
• Welsh Language 

-    Provide direct funding for pay increase - at core costs not averages.

-    To annually provide inflation increases to funding, equally to all schools.

-    To create a bespoke, Wales specific, suite of qualifications for school business leaders, as per the Institute of School Business Leadership Professional Standards 

-    Create a national benchmarking tool, using integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP) techniques, which will help schools to use resources as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Why are we saying this?
At the time of writing, schools in Wales are funded differently and unfairly. 22 complex funding formulae are in place, that cannot be compared. Funding from Welsh Government to local authorities for education cannot be ringfenced and therefore is not always delegated to schools. Luke Sibieta’s report contained identification of reduced funding and recommendations to the WG to provide fairness and transparency in funding across schools and areas. These, as yet, have not been actioned.

ASCL Cymru urges the government to address our significant and real funding concerns to correct the level and parity of funding across Wales and put an end to the disparity that exists for children in Wales.

What is the context?
In January 2024, in response to Dylan Jones' review of the middle tier, it was announced by the then minister for Welsh language and Education that the that the existing regional model did not offer ‘best value’ and a new collaborative school improvement system would be explored. The regions were responsible for school improvement function, whilst local authorities retained accountability. The new model would be based upon school-to school-working supported at local authority and national level. 

In 2019, Interim KS4 performance indicators were introduced  that were reestablished in 2023, along with the core data set. These performance indicators are shared nationally through My Local Schools and are not updated or changed with enough regularity.

There is a real concern that regional support will simply move into local authorities without a change in quality, focus or agenda. With the potential for 22 different school improvement systems, all led and funded differently. 

Within the collaborative models shared there is also an absence of clarity about accountability, leaving school leaders unsure who they are accountable to and for what. 

ASCL position: ASCL Cymru believes that within Wales there should be:
-    A re-evaluation of the volume of change imposed on the school system and adjustments made to ensure schools have the capacity to manage this change

-    Clearly articulated national priorities able to drive effective system-wide improvement and improved outcomes for learners, particularly those in the most deprived areas

-    Clarity given for key performance indicators with time for school leaders to act

-    A single school improvement system, delegated to Local Authorities from Welsh Government, including: 

• a parity of provision across Wales 
• clear accountability 
• ringfenced funding
• a reduced and appropriate level of bureaucracy

Why are we saying this? 
It is clear the pandemic has affected education settings in different ways and continues to do so. Any attempt to compare the performance of one school or college against another needs detailed planning and consideration. 

Within a climate of reduced resource and staffing, school and colleges need to focus on priorities and high levels of bureaucracy cannot distract from this core purpose.

The true message of school-to-school collaboration cannot be deflected by 22 different rationales. This is a national priority and as such needs to be nationally driven. There is need for all schools in Wales to receive the highest quality of support for school improvement by the most skilled national advisers.

What is the context?
We are witnessing a recruitment and retention crisis in Wales, in all sectors but particularly at secondary level in English and Welsh language settings. 

ASCL survey on teacher shortages states:

• 95% of those responding were experiencing difficulty in recruiting teachers
• 42.8% were experiencing severe difficulty in recruiting teachers
• With 90.8 % receiving low numbers of applicants and 69.4% receiving no applicants at all for some posts

Educational leadership roles remain unfilled.  A survey of headteachers conducted by the ASCL found that 72.4% of respondents did not feel that they had an acceptable work/life balance, with 47.7% believing their workload to be unmanageable. More than half of the survey respondents said that they were considering leaving the profession. 

The numbers of those training for secondary education has flatlined since 2020 Annual Education Workforce Statistics.

The role of education in our communities has been skewed, and in some cases lost, as other services reduced their offer, schools have mitigated this and provided more outside the core function of education.

ASCL position: Shortages in initial teacher training needs to be addressed by government as a matter of urgency.
 
The retention of teachers should also be prioritized by addressing:

• the erosion of pay and impact of Workload
• the role of education within the community 
• the lack of specialist resources

The recruitment and retention of school leaders should be prioritized by addressing: 

• erosion of pay
• the workload on school leaders and their entitlement to holidays  
• the vision for education in Wales which should be fully funded and appropriately scheduled not a bloated programme of educational reform
• high stakes accountability
• bureaucracy that adds to workload

Why are we saying this?
The Government’s current intervention to secure a workforce for education has not been successful. Without more palatable and appropriate expectation for the educational workforce we will remain in this perilous situation.