Triumph in Adversity: school funding Tom Middlehurst Head of Policy and Public Affairs
Policy context
Priorities • New Government and DfE team Schools that work for everyone (selection and faith • schools) • Academisation and growth of MATs • New assessment at KS2, KS4 and KS5 • New performance measures at KS2, KS4 and KS4 • The Education and Adoption Act (March 2016) Educational Excellence Everywhere • • Education for All Bill • Teacher recruitment and retention • Other duties including PPG, Prevent, safeguarding, etc • Financial restraints and national funding formula
Flat cash per pupil • ‘Protected’ school funding until 2020 • Employer pension contributions, NI increase, inflation • Shortfall of c. 10% 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 £’000s £’000s £’000s £’000s £’000s £’000s DFE Income 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 Teachers 3,900 4,081 4,272 4,325 4,373 4,419 Other Staff 1,100 1,111 1,157 1,169 1,181 1,192 Other Costs 1,000 1,020 1,040 1,061 1,082 1,104 Total Costs 6,000 6,212 6,470 6,555 6,636 6,716
Delayed funding formula The new national funding formula will now apply from 2018 to 2019 and not 2017- 2018. The DfE will also set out its full plans for a national funding formula for early years shortly.
At least £35k per year From 1 st April 2016, workers from non-EU countries must earn at least £35k pa to settle in the UK for more than 6 years. Maths, Physics and Chemistry teachers are exempt. Impact of Brexit on EU staff?
Teachers’ pay and conditions Maintained schools have a statutory duty to update their Teachers’ Pay and Appraisal Policy, in line with the revised STPC document. Your policy must include details of how you: • Use performance-related progression • Use the policy to recruit and retain teachers • 1% uplift to the maxima and minima (Sept 2016)
Pay progression The main changes (introduced in 2013) from the previous system are: • removing pay progression based on length of service and linking all pay progression to performance • giving schools the option of increasing individual teachers’ pay at different rates based on their performance • replacing the threshold test for progression from the main to the upper pay range with new simpler criteria • creating a new pay range for leading practitioners whose primary purpose is to model and lead the improvement of teaching skills • giving schools more freedom to determine starting salaries of teachers new to the school • removing the obligation on schools when recruiting to match a teacher’s existing salary.
Budget announcements, March 2016 • All schools to become academies by 2020 (2022). • Longer school days for c.25% of all secondary schools. • National funding formula • Maths for all to 18 (?) • £20m for schools in the North
The Apprenticeship Levy • From April 2017, all employers with staff costs of over £3m, will have to pay 0.5% of wage bill towards the levy • Offset by a £15k bursary • E.g. for an academy with staff costs of £5m, they will pay £25k into the levy, receive £15k, leaving them £10k short • Target of 2.3% of workforce apprentices • Can reclaim the levy to pay for training – but not salary costs
Gender pay gap All employers with 250+ staff must report on gender pay differences in April 2017. Smaller employers may choose to do so in the interest of transparency.
Year 7 catch-up funding In the past, secondary schools were given £500 "catch-up" funding for each pupil who was below the expected standard in either reading or maths. The numbers of pupils falling below the expected standard has more than doubled in maths and tripled in reading this year, but the government has said the "catch-up" money schools get will not rise to match this. Number of pupils below expected standard in maths has now risen to 30% (13% in 2015). Number below the expected standard in reading has risen to 34% (11% in 2015).
Discussion What are your biggest priorities and how do national and local policy and budget challenges impact on these?
Triumph in Adversity? How financial constraints are driving schools to do things differently
• Survey responses • 3 Rs to improve outcomes in times of austerity • Leadership and governance • Best practice from schools
Survey responses • restructuring, particularly within the senior leadership team • reducing the number of teaching assistants and other non-teaching staff • asking teachers to teach outside their subject specialism • reducing teachers’ non- contact time • limiting participation in external training • reducing the amount of time spent collaborating with or supporting other schools to minimise the amount of time staff are out of the classroom.
Survey responses
3 Rs of improving educational outcomes in times of austerity (Louise Robinson, Arcadis) • Realise benefits of scale - MATs, federations and umbrella trusts - Career progression, training - Core services should anticipate a 3-8% savings • Reset the status quo - Teaching, learning and curriculum - Buildings – invest to save - Support / central services • Renegotiate and retender - Benchmark - Procure with others, for 3-5% savings - Regularly review
Leadership & governance (Gillian Allcroft, NGA) • Ensure the SBM is part of leadership team and has relevant training • Does the budget match up with CPD and school vision? • If over 80% on staffing, governors need to ask why • What’s the pupil-teacher ratio? What’s the rationale for this? • What’s the teacher contact ratio? (ASCL suggest 0.78) • Cost of leadership? • Cost of support staff? • Governors should decide what information they want from the executive • For spending outside the budget: • Can we afford it? • What impact will it have on children’s outcomes?
Blue Coat CoE School – reducing a £1.4m deficit • using the main hall, theatre and our new conference suite for weddings and conferences • inviting primary schools and a local science club to use the facilities • letting out facilities to private tutoring companies for adult and older students to enable them to take examinations • letting out the car park to support local events• marketing our theatre facilities – we wrote to dance clubs and theatre groups and offered them ‘six for five’ deals • increasing the number of our performances, especially musically, as we have very talented musicians who perform at the Methodist Central Hall annually • maximising the use of the MUGA pitches Open till 10pm Mon – Fri and 8pm at weekends. Generates £100,000 pa
Heathfield – doing things differently • Cutting costs and raising income • KS4 changes – reducing options from 5 to 4. Combining courses and dropping five subjects. Increased class sizes and therefore reduced staffing costs • Community use • Restructured senior and middle leadership teams – new middle leadership model with greater equality and PM resulted in £130,000 pa savings • Asking staff to identify second subject • Protecting collaborative PPA time, for better retention • Being led by curriculum and pedagogy, not budgets!
Leigh Academies Trust – facing the challenge • Think creatively / do things differently to ensure your published admission number is met • KS5 offer • Academic and vocational routes • No lessons on a Wednesday • Taster sessions throughout KS4 • New linear A levels Avoiding tax on income: • Check your academy’s Objects – what’s a primary purpose? • Lettings for land / space – no equipment • First £50,000 is free
Lord Grey - Facing the funding challenge • Limiting photocopying, setting B&W as default • Full restructure of support staff including changing from a seven to five point pay scale • Use of apprentices for chefs, marcomms, IT support and sports technicians • Spent £40,000 converting the caretaker’s house into an onsite AP unit – make savings and generate income Comberton Village College – use of Skype • Three way video • Skype for Business and One Note
Conclusions • Put together a premises plan • Be proactive about leasing • Invest to save • Review all contracts • Monitor staff and student behaviours • Undertake a thorough review of staffing • Particular issues for geographically isolated schools, varied staff turnover and PFI
Discussion What are you doing to a) Reduce spending? b) Generate income?
Thank you Tom.Middlehurst@ssatuk.co.uk @Tom_Middlehurst 07737 461 781
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