LGA warns of £1bn shortfall for new school places

Council budgets are plugging a national black hole of at least £1 billion in school places funding, town hall leaders are warning today, as research reveals councils have abandoned building projects, cut back on school maintenance and borrowed money, in order to pay for a school place for every child.

New LGA research released today shows more than three-quarters of councils did not receive enough government money to create the extra school places needed in their area between 2011/12 and 2016/17. To make sure no child has been left without a place, councils borrowed money, used cash earmarked for other building programmes or created places with money intended to be spent on renovating crumbling school buildings and classrooms.

The LGA research lays bare the scale of the problem in funding for school places, which council leaders say is too big to be effectively funded at a local level. Instead, councils are calling for government to fully-fund this national black hole. The LGA is also calling for the Government to hand back the full set of powers needed to fulfil this statutory duty.

In some areas of England, particularly in London and the south-east, changing demographics and an increased birth rate have led to particular pressures on school places. Last year, councils created an additional 90,000 primary places, but LGA analysis revealed a further 130,000 would still be needed by 2017/18, while 80,716 new secondary places will be needed by 2019/2020.

Going to extraordinary lengths to ensure there is a place for every child, councils have added extra classes, using temporary buildings and in one case even put a playground on a roof. Through collaboration with all schools in the area councils have created thousands of school places, but more are still needed.

The LGA asked councils if cash provided by the Department for Education had met the full cost of providing school places between 2011/12 and 2016/17. Some 77 per cent of respondents said the money had not been enough. These councils got money from a range of sources including:

• 38 per cent borrowed money
• 67 per cent used money from developers
• 22 per cent took money from other building programmes
• 50 per cent used cash from other school capital programmes, such as school building maintenance

Individual authority breakdowns include:

• The London Borough of Ealing has added £129m to its government funding for school places. This includes £114m from prudential borrowing, £11m of funding from other capital budgets and £4m from partnership, Section 106 and revenue funding
• The London Borough of Hillingdon has added £114 million to its government funding for school places: £92.9 million from prudential borrowing and £21.7 million from developers
• The London Borough of Barnet has added £70.87 million to its government funding for school places.
• One council has added £125 million to its government funding for school places, with additional funding from capital receipts, prudential borrowing, developers, diverting capital from other capital programmes and from the revenue account
• One local authority in the north has added £81.5 million to its government funding for school places

Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People's Board, said: "Mums and dads expect their child to be able to get a place at a good local school and this research shows councils are delivering, but at a cost. Since the pressure on places first emerged, councils have been getting on with the job of creating more, and welcome though government funding is, it is nothing like the full cost. This research lays bare the financial impact on councils of providing school places, which stands at more than £1 billion over a five-year period.

"The scale of this black hole is such that the cost of the creation of new school places cannot be met by council taxpayers. The underfunding of free school meals pales in comparison to this but both show that Government's rhetoric must be matched by its chequebook rather than leaving local authorities to pick up the tab. The lack of school places is no longer confined to primary schools but is spreading to secondary schools, and across the country we estimate more than 200,000 places will be needed.

"Councils face a challenge to create places on time and in the right areas, in a climate where they are also short of money to do so. Additionally, much of the decision making about new school places rests in the hands of the Government, whose funding for school places came too late. As a consequence, councils are carrying a billion pounds worth of costs which has come from other areas. The Government should budget for enough money to ensure something as vitally important as providing school places is not funded from other areas. This is an investment in the future which will benefit us all."

The LGA is also calling for: councils to be given a single capital pot, with an indicative five-year allocation to mirror the next parliament, to enable councils to plan creating school places effectively; councils to be given the powers to create new schools and work locally to find the best academy provider, if this is the preferred choice, and to be given a greater role in judging and approving free school proposals.

In December the Government committed £2.35 billion to provide places up to 2017, but local authorities still face problems because there is not enough money to fund them or not enough space available to build. Government figures estimate the cost of providing a single place is £15,430.

As well as having to pay for new school places, councils have to pick up the cost of additional work, such as removal of asbestos, when the Education Funding Agency pays for new buildings under the Priority Schools Building Programme, which does not cover the full cost of works. The shortfall in money provided for school places comes as the Government has pledged more than £1 billion in funding for free school meals for infant children. Last week, LGA research found capital funded from government to build kitchens was at least £25 million short.

Responding to the LGA report Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union said:

"The LGA is highlighting a problem which has been well known for some time yet has remained unaddressed. Education is a fundamental right for children and young people in this country. It is unacceptable that for some that will mean class sizes of 40, 50, 60 or even 70, and cuts to much needed facilities. Government needs to realise that urgent measures need to be taken. The free schools programme does not address the problem. It allows for schools to be set up in areas where there is not the need for additional places at tax payers' expense. It is contributing to the problem not solving it."

"Parents and the general public will be genuinely dismayed by the current situation. We need to see a return to coherently planned school provision overseen by the local authority, and there needs to be the funding in place to ensure it happens. Failure to do so will leave this Government responsible for a school place crisis, the effects of which will be far reaching and seriously detrimental to education provision in this country."

The Tories & Unions clash over the "day of action"

Following the strike in the public sector today the Government claims on the turnout and impact:

• Support for the strike has been poor, with turnout down compared to previous occasions. We expect the total turnout to be less than half a million, well short of the numbers claimed by the Unions.
• Civil Service turnout likely to be fewer than 80,000 - just 18% of the workforce. We believe this to be the lowest number ever for a national strike. We have robust strike reporting arrangements in place, unlike the Trade Unions.
• All job centres are open.
• Four out of five driving tests went ahead today as planned.
• Majority of schools are open in England and Wales. The Local Government Association estimate 95% of local council staff to be in work.
• Fire services in England continuing to operate with robust contingency plans in place. Many local refuse, leisure and social care services are contracted out and unaffected by the strike. Overall impact on public services overall has been limited.
• Where services have been affected, these have been mitigated by a surge in demand for some online services. This is testament to the Government's digital transformation plans for public services.
• Measures ensured there were no unplanned closures in the courts.

Commenting the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude said: "We want to thank the vast majority of public servants who turned up for work as usual today. Our official estimates are that fewer than half a million took part in this strike action - well short of the inflated claims of union leaders. Within the Civil Service, there has been the lowest recorded turnout for a national strike. Every Jobcentre opened, the majority of children went to school as normal and fire services continue to operate with robust contingency arrangements in place. As part of our long-term economic plan, this Government has had to take tough decisions, including to restrain public sector pay. The blame for today's disruption rests with those union leaders who pushed for unnecessary strike action with weak mandates."

The government have outlined what they call "tough choices" in response to today's strikes:

• We recognise the frustrations of those that chose to take industrial action today. But hard choices are necessary to secure and consolidate economic recovery. Our children and grandchildren will be forced to pay for generations to come if we borrow heavily.
• Public sector pay has grown by more than the private sector since the start of the recession, and average pay remains higher in the public sector.
• Restraining pay protects jobs. This Government has saved £12 billion pounds that would have otherwise have to come from cuts to jobs and public services if we hadn't taken action.
• The Civil Service are asking for a 5% pay claim, which would cost 18,000 civil service jobs.
• Legitimacy
• There is no justification for taking strike action on such low turnouts or old mandates.
• The NUT mandate is nearly two years' old (Sept 12), while fewer than 20% of local government union members voted for strike action (or less than 6% of all local government workers).
• Raises serious questions on need to look at reforming rules that govern Trade Union ballot. 

Responding the GMB union said that there are more people on strike than union members as school and council staff, union members or not, are very angry and it's time someone listened.

The GMB commented on the impact of the strikes today in schools and councils. Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary for Public Services said "From ringing around GMB regions and branches our information is that over 1 million workers are on strike in councils and schools. The majority of schools are closed or partially closed. Council services are significantly affected. However a number of our members have been released to work so that we do not endanger life and limb. But the bottom line is that there are more people on strike than just union members and we've been overwhelmed by the support. Local council and schools staff, union members or not, are very angry and it's time someone listened."

Also commenting on the "day of action" across England and Wales, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said: “Thank you to all the teachers who took strike action today alongside five other public sector unions. We know this is not a decision that was taken lightly. Extraordinarily the Government’s response to today’s action has been to completely ignore the issues and instead seek to reduce people’s right to strike. There is no point pontificating on the fact that citizens have the right to strike if every time they do so they are vilified. It is a clear indication that this Government does not want to listen to our concerns, nor do they want them drawn to the general public’s attention."

Continuing Ms Blower said: “The reason why this dispute is so long running is due to the absolute failure of this Government to engage in any meaningful discussions on the main issues of our dispute. The responsibility for today’s action lies fairly and squarely at the door of Government. It is high time that we saw some significant movement. Teachers love their jobs but unless their concerns on pay, pensions and workload are addressed teacher recruitment will certainly become an issue.”

NUT tell the Coalition to "change tack" on education policy

This latest YouGov survey of a representative sample of teachers is a damning indictment of Michael Gove’s time as Secretary of State for Education. If the Coalition parties want to attract support from teachers at next year’s General Election, they need to totally rethink their policies in 2014 and start regaining the trust of the teaching profession. Some key findings from the survey include:

• 79% of teachers feel that the Government’s impact on the education system over the last three-and-a-half-years has been negative.
• 82% of teachers and 87% of school leaders do not believe the Coalition Government’s academies and free schools programme is taking education in the right direction.
• Morale in the teaching profession continues to fall and three quarters (74%) of teachers say their morale has declined since the last General Election.
• 63% of teachers say that more than a fifth of their workload does not directly benefit children’s learning.
• In one of the richest countries in the world, almost half (49%) of teachers report malnutrition or hunger affecting the ability of pupils to concentrate.
• 87% of teachers would rank Ofsted as inadequate or requiring improvement.
• Teachers and parents share concerns about schools having different term dates.
• 52% of teachers are less likely to stay in the profession as a result of changes to teachers’ pay and pensions, and 57% are less likely to stay as a result of changes to teachers’ conditions.
• 70% of head teachers do not feel trusted by the Government to get on with the job.
• 69% of teachers and 85% of head teachers feel they cannot work until 68.
• The vast majority of teachers (91%) do not believe publicly funded schools should be run for profit, and 93% of teachers believe academies and free schools should employ teachers with Qualified Teacher Status.

Against this backdrop, it is perhaps unsurprising that few teachers would vote for the Coalition Government parties ‘if there was a General Election tomorrow’. Of the 85% of teachers who said they would use their vote, only 12% said they would vote for the Conservative Party, 6% for the Liberal Democrats and 43% would vote for Labour party 24% said they'd vote for another party.

The survey also found that when asked if there was support for the NUT and NASUWT strike action on pay, pensions and conditions, 67% of all teachers supported it. 80% of NASUWT and 81% of NUT members supported the strike action.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: “If David Cameron and Nick Clegg are under any illusions that their education policies are going in the right direction, they need to think again. This survey makes it abundantly clear that both teachers and head teachers do not see their policies as being in the best interests of children or the profession." 

Continuing Ms Blower said: "At a time when teacher morale is continuing to fall, it is extraordinary that the Secretary of State for Education refuses to enter into meaningful negotiations with teaching unions. The NUT cannot recall a time over its 144 year history when Government policy has been so roundly condemned by the teaching profession. With a general election round the corner, David Cameron and Nick Clegg need to completely change tack if they are to attract the support of teachers and start improving the life chances of our children and young people.”

Clegg announces details for free school meals plan

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has confirmed that the Coalition Government is making free school meals available for all infant school children and disadvantaged college students from September 2014. The policy which was announced at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, in Glasgow, last September is to be confirmed in the Coalition’s Autumn Statement. As part of the Autumn Statement the Coalition is funding £450m in 2014-15 and £635m in 2015-16 will be made available to the Department for Education to fund this commitment. The Treasury say this is new money being put into the Department for Education’s budget. The government is also going to announce they're also making £150m of capital investment available to ensure that schools can build new kitchens or increase dining capacity where necessary.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg commented by saying: "Early on I made it very clear that universal free school meals would be my personal priority in this Autumn Statement and I’m proud that we are now delivering it. From the start of the next school year, every single infant school pupil will be able to sit to down to a free school lunch. Today, I can announce that we’re providing more than £1 billion to ensure children get a healthy meal in the middle of the day. We’re also making sure that schools are not left out of pocket by putting £150m on the table to fund new kitchen and dining facilities where they are needed."

Continuing Mr Clegg said: "Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and at the same time we are doing all we can to help ease the pressure on household budgets. This not only encourages positive eating habits and helps improve concentration and performance in the classroom, but this will also mean significant savings for families. Providing universal free school meals will help give every child the future they deserve, building a stronger economy and a fairer society."

Shadow Education Minister, Lucy Powell, responding to the announcement of details of Free School Meals, said: "David Cameron and Nick Clegg scrapped Labour's plans to extend free meals for school children on taking office. Now they talk about helping with school meals, but in reality this Tory-led Government will have taken up to £7 billion a year of support away from children by 2015. Families facing a cost-of-living crisis deserve better than this. Labour would extend free childcare provision for three and four year olds with working parents from 15 to 25 hours a week and give parents a guarantee of wrap-around care for all primary school children."

Also commenting on the announcement made by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, on universal free school meals for infant school children, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said: "The issue of hunger has become a very serious problem in the UK. The link between the Government's social security reforms and the rise of food banks is not one that can be dismissed. A letter in the British Medical Journal raises the concerns that this has all the signs of a public health emergency."

Continuing Ms Blower commented "In the light of this desperate situation universal free school meals for infants is a very welcome step. It must be stressed that while the NUT fully supports this move children over the age of seven also urgently need the same provision and we urge the Government to extend free school meals to all pupils. The devastating effects that hunger and poverty have on society are immense. Children and young people will be yet further disadvantaged if they are too hungry to concentrate in school and will certainly lack the energy to study in the evenings. Money spent on free school meals and ensuring schools have the space and facilities to provide them is money more than well spent".

Mixed reaction to free school meal announcement

Following the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement yesterday that all infant school children were going to get their school lunches for free. The cost is estimated to cost the taxpayer £600m and there is speculation that it is what the Lib Dems have got as pay off for not opposing the Tories married couples tax allowance. On making the announcement yesterday Nick Clegg described at the first step to universal free school meals saying "We will start with infant school pupils because teaching healthy habits young, and boosting attainment early, will bring the biggest benefits. Universal free school meals will help give every child the chance in life that they deserve, building a stronger economy and fairer society."

However Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg, responded to the announcement without responding to the policy and simply launched an attack on the integrity of the Liberal Democrats saying: "After three years of broken promises and empty words, people have come to judge the Lib Dems on what they do, not what they say. They talk about helping families but they will have taken up to £7 billion a year of support away from children by 2015; they talk about helping with school meals after supporting the Tories in scrapping Labour's plans to extend free meals for school kids. You can't trust a word the Lib Dems say." Although the Labour leader on the GLA (Greater London Assembly) Len Duvall welcomed the decision: "This is a fantastic policy and Labour-run London councils are already delivering it, they have shown that it is possible."

The Director General at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mark Littlewood, criticised the decision as a "bad use of public money". Mr Littlewood commenting said: "This is an enormously bad use of public money. Not unreasonably, the government already ensures that those in need have access to free school meals, so it beggars belief that we are now going to see a policy instated which will subsidise the children of affluent families. If the government meaningfully wants to ease the burden of rising living costs then they would be better placed to introduce a £437 tax cut each year and give parents some choice."

However welcoming the announcement from Nick Clegg that infant children will be getting free school meals. Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers the largest teachers’ union, said: "The NUT welcomes the announcement on free school meals for infant pupils but remains committed to the ambition of universal free school meals for all primary school pupils, as recommended in the School Food Plan. Children however do not stop being hungry at 7years of age. We hope that today’s announcement represents just the start of rolling out free schools meals to all children in primary schools before the end of this Parliament."

Continuing Ms Blower said: "The health benefits of eating a nutritious lunchtime meal cannot be overestimated. Teachers are well aware of the impact on children’s concentration and behaviour and the long term benefits for their educational attainment. With ever increasing rates of child poverty and childhood obesity, universal primary free school meals will not only bring about clear health and education benefits but will help support low income working parents and help to tackle child poverty".

NUT welcome Twigg's education policy speech

Commenting on the Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg's speech, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said:

"The Union is pleased to welcome Stephen Twigg's announcement today that Labour Party policy will require all schools to employ qualified teachers and that there will be a national system for pay and conditions. Also to be welcomed is the focus on fair admissions and the critique of the centralising policy of the current Secretary of State, in which all schools are run from Whitehall. The NUT will engage with the review Stephen Twigg has announced today of how Labour can provide a stronger framework of local accountability."

"Many teachers will be heartened to hear that there will no longer be a need to have a change of status in order to have the curriculum freedoms available to academies and free schools. Stephen Twigg is right to talk about the success of the London Challenge which resulted in school-led improvement, where professional teachers were trusted to work together to make system-wide improvements."

"Local democratic accountability, on school provision, place planning and fair admissions for all schools, is a policy aspiration the Union shares. However, allowing parents to open schools does not ensure coherent education provision. Current free school policy has clearly led to a waste of taxpayers' money in some instances. We await the policies which arise from today's speech with interest."