Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Chancellor’s spring statement.
“We are disappointed that the Chancellor failed to address the financial pressures facing the education system amidst soaring inflation, and the fact that many experienced teachers and leaders will see the real value of their pay fall under the government’s current pay proposals.
“Schools are reporting huge increases in their energy bills and the government expects them to fund pay awards out of these stretched budgets too. We are gravely concerned that they are facing a fresh funding crisis. This is compounded by the inadequacy of the proposed pay award for many staff which comes after a pay freeze and is likely to worsen retention rates.”