NGA responds to the Autumn Budget 2024

NGA is pleased that the government is prioritising “fixing the foundations” of the country. For a number of years, governors and trustees have been telling us that balancing their school or trust budget is their biggest challenge, and every year more and more of those governing are being forced to use reserves to keep their school or trust functioning. In this year's annual survey, over a third of respondents described their organisation as financially unsustainable.

Our 2024 manifesto therefore emphasised the need for additional funding for schools and trusts. We called for an increase in both capital and revenue funding, recognising both day-to-day pressures and the deterioration of school buildings and estates. We also identified three specific areas where additional funding was needed - supporting children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND); mental health support for pupils; and wider intervention to tackle child poverty, which is placing a huge burden on educational institutions.

The extent of these challenges means that they could never be solved in a single fiscal event, especially given the need for careful management of the nation's finances. We also recognise that funding is only part of the picture, and reform is also necessary to solve many of the challenges which have been identified by ourselves, the wider sector and the new government.

We welcome the government's announcements on education funding today and in recent weeks:

£1.4billion for addressing crumbling school buildings;
£1.8billion in additional early years funding to support the government's childcare offer;
£1billion for SEND provision;
£2.3billion for core school budgets to deliver the additional teachers promised in the government's election manifesto;
the funding already provided to facilitate the significant 5.5% pay settlement.

However, while welcome and a positive start, spending boosts of this scale will not prove transformative for either the school estate, or the day-to-day experiences of pupils. As we approach the conclusion of the spending review, we call on the government to deliver real terms, per pupil funding increases for schools and trusts that reflect a desire to not just maintain services, but to truly begin breaking down barriers to opportunity.

For the education sector, the money going directly to schools and trusts is not the only relevant detail in a budget. In recent years, schools and trusts have increasingly taken on a broader role in supporting young people and families beyond simply providing education. The causes have been well publicised - a global financial crash; austerity removing other social safety nets; a worldwide pandemic; and a cost of living crisis, all of which have negatively affected child and family poverty. These events have also coincided with an increase in the complexities and life challenges that children and young people face, with behavioural, attendance, and mental health challenges escalating at a phenomenal rate.

Alleviating the burden on schools and trusts means tackling some of these society-wide issues. There are welcome announcements, such as the tripling of investment in breakfast clubs to over £30million, and £44million to support kinship and foster carers. However, these sums are drops in the ocean given the scale of the challenges facing the most vulnerable children and families. We continue to advocate for the removal of the two-child benefit cap given its consequences for child poverty, and we will be watching the output of the government's child poverty taskforce with interest.

The future success of our nation depends on the education we provide today. To break down barriers to opportunity, we need more than just careful management of limited resources. Instead, bold, forward-thinking investment is needed if we are to transform our children's futures. NGA will continue to advocate for education as one of the most worthwhile investments that any government can make.

Sam Henson, NGA's Deputy Chief Executive, said:
"This budget provides some cautious grounds for optimism, with much needed investment in our educational estate, workforce and SEND provision. Nonetheless, resolving the financial challenges facing schools and trusts will take a concerted effort over the course of this parliament and beyond. We will continue to advocate for the funding that our members are telling us is necessary."