“The decline in pupil numbers represents a huge financial risk that schools must not be left to shoulder on their own. Schools have a limited ability to reduce costs, as many of these are fixed and they still must have the staff necessary to keep the school running. Primary schools are already introducing mixed-age classes in response to falling rolls and it is inevitable that some smaller schools will be forced to close if they are not given any form of financial support.
“We agree with the suggestion that the government could reduce the financial blow of falling numbers by increasing per-pupil funding faster than inflation. As a bare minimum it must avoid the temptation of using the money from falling rolls as a ‘saving’ for the Treasury and reinvest it to bolster funding rates which are currently wholly insufficient. This would at least put education on a slightly more sustainable footing.”