Schools' spending power slashed
Schools in Somerset are set to be hit with a £11.1m cut to spending power in 2024-25, data from the National Education Union (NEU) reveals.
It means that funding per pupil in the county will be cut by £167 in 2024-25 compared with the previous year.
There are 249 schools in Somerset, 220 of which will have less spending power in 2024-25 as a result of these funding cuts.
For primary schools in the county, there will be a £136 reduction in spending power per pupil over the next financial year, and in secondary schools there will be a £223 fall in spending power per pupil.
Taunton and Wellington Liberal Democrats have warned that the fall in spending power will push already stretched school budgets to the brink, with a worse educational experience for pupils and worse outcomes.
It comes as new data shows that the Conservative Government has cut the annual growth in funding in cash terms from eight per cent in 2023-24 to 3.1 per cent in 2024-25.
The Lib Dems are calling for the Government to review school funding after the IFS has concluded that the purchasing power of school budgets in 2024 will still be about four per cent lower than in 2010.
Gideon Amos, their Parliamentary candidate for Taunton and Wellington, said: “This Conservative government has failed Somerset’s children.
“Parents in our community should not have to send their children to schools which have had their funding decimated by a Conservative government which has lost interest in providing high-quality education.
“Investing in education is investing in our future but this Conservative government has let school buildings crumble and overseen a severe shortage of teachers.
“Far from preparing the next generation for the future, Ministers have totally abandoned them.
“The Liberal Democrats know that investment in education boosts our children’s futures – indeed it was Liberal Governments who first ensured education was available free of charge. The Treasury needs to urgently look at increasing school funding."