In recent weeks, increasingly damning statistics have highlighted the possibility of teaching redundancies in schools across the UK. With the cost-of-living crisis hitting education providers profoundly, many schools are looking to their staff to cut costs.
Bromcom explores what this means for the teaching profession, how students will be affected, and how schools, MATs, or LAs can look to their MIS provider to reduce the likelihood of deficit budgets.
Staff redundancies in schools: How did we get here?
Unfunded pay rises and soaring energy costs have played a huge part in the financial constraints felt by education providers.
Schools have already had to make drastic cuts to their budgets in recent months. Now though, it seems schools are having to turn to their most precious paid commodity, their staff.
According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT):
- Two-thirds of Heads say they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or reduce their hours
- Half say they are looking at reducing the number of teachers or teaching hours
This information, based on responses from 11,000 school leaders in England, highlights the desperate situation for many.
The NAHT added that the impact of these cuts would be ‘catastrophic’ schools.
So, what does the future look like for education?
Staff redundancies: The long-term impact on education
Recruitment and retention are already an issue for schools. By making cuts to teaching assistants, teachers, and other vital parts of a school’s roster, the likelihood of retaining quality practitioners diminishes. A profession that has largely offered comprehensive job security now presents an uncertain future for many who have been in the profession for years.
For the day-to-day running of schools, the prognosis is not good. Less staff means bigger classes, meaning student progress is harder to achieve. Those who are most vulnerable and require continuous support, including statemented children, will face a future with less support in place.
48% of schools have said that these cuts will extend to mental health provision. This includes cuts to counselling, therapy, and mental health support.
Staff and students alike face uncertain futures with less resource to affect positive change.
So, with 54% of leaders warning that their schools will go into deficit this year and a further 90% of schools warning they will not be able to balance their budgets without extreme intervention, how can schools look to stabilise their books and assure their vital workforce thrives?
Staff redundancies: How a School MIS could support your budget management
Understanding your finances is crucial when implementing effective spending measures in schools.
That’s where Bromcom comes in.
Our integrated finance module allows you total transparency when dealing with finances. From exercise books to canteen spend, from UPS calculations to energy costs, you’ve got visibility over where your money is going.
The following functionalities could be essential in your battle against rising costs and the threat of losing valued members of staff:
Contract Management: Evaluate and reduce spend. Set renewal reminders to review spending and use our supplier catalogue search function to make sure you are getting the best deal across every contract.
Benchmarking: Accurately calculate where your budget is being spent relative to schools within your area. Make certain you are not overspending on external providers and that your staffing budget is not too heavily weighted towards UPS.
Budgeting/Staffing Scenarios: Map multiple different staffing configurations with budgeting scenarios and assess how they could affect your finances. These hypothetical setups give you a complete view over your biggest expenditure.
Forecasting Factors: Plan for every eventuality. Apply our Forecasting Factor functionality to any potential budget. See how the level of RPI could affect your future spend.
With Bromcom, you have the added benefit of negating the rising server costs incurred by many locally hosted schools. The Bromcom School MIS continually updates to suit your requirements.
Concerned about your school finances?
Why not give us a call? Our industry experts will be happy to explore your cost-saving opportunities.
For more information on cuts faced by schools across the country, there is now a dedicated website which shows budget cuts to schools within your area. This data has been independently verified with inflation predicted in line with Bank of England data.
