“This analysis will make harrowing reading for school and college leaders already faced with intense pressures on their budgets. If education spending is cut – however that is done – it will represent a new period of austerity which neither young people nor the country as a whole can afford. The government needs to be bold and recognise that education spending must be protected as an investment in the future. It is vital in equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, and the country needs to be globally competitive. The upcoming spending review is a moment for the government to step up and show real strategic vision rather than plunging the sector into a new cycle of cost-cutting.”