Parents have been left reeling after a gut-punch government statement implied the Department for Education will not provide primary schools with more financial support.
In recent weeks, the News has revealed that sixteen Southwark primary schools are in financial crisis, with the council begging central government to help.
Exclusive: The fight is on to help sixteen cash-strapped primary schools
Southwark Council has already received £1.8 million in growth funding but needs an extra £1.2 million to remedy schools’ £3 million budget deficit.
But a statement received today by the News (Friday, July 1) from the Department for Education (DfE), led by MP Nadhim Zahawi said: “We have provided local authorities with £246m this financial year specifically to support schools in managing significant rises or falls in pupil numbers. This is an increase of £12m on the previous financial year.
“Our National Funding Formula (NFF) distributes overall funding to schools fairly, based on the needs of schools and their pupils.
“It is cost adjusted for area so that schools in more expensive areas, like Central London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.”
“It’s too hush hush!”: Parents react to the Southwark Primary School Crisis
The statement will make grim-reading for the council, which has already warned the DFE: “If we don’t act fast, more school closures will inevitably follow.”
Without government support, it is unclear how schools can climb out of budgetary deficit, and prevent mergers, restructures or, at worst, closures.
Even more concerning is that the council believes 37 schools could be plunged into budget deficits as soon as 2023.
As Cllr Jasmine Ali noted in her letter to Nadhim Zahawi: “This is a pan-London issue, with dire consequences for inner-city areas…”
ONS data shows that the number of children in Southwark fell from 50,400 to 48,500 from 2011 to 2021, even though the overall population rose.
Number of children in Southwark fell over the past ten years amid fears for struggling schools
Neighbouring Lambeth, which has similar demographics and housing pressures, had a comparable drop, with about 51,800 children under the age of fifteen in 2011, falling to 45,700 in 2021.
While the DFE statement says the NFF means central London schools get higher funding per pupil, this does nothing to help the particular problem of falling rolls.
A council spokesperson told the News today that the council would not release the list of schools that are in a budget deficit. They said the earliest such a list could be published, if at all, would be autumn this year.
Under the current NFF, primary schools receive central government funding on a ‘per-pupil’ basis but rolls have been decimated in recent years.
The council says this is due to falling birth rates and an exodus of families due to Brexit, Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and rising house prices.
Today (Friday, July 1), Fairlawn Primary School in Lewisham told parents that due to “budgetary challenges”, year four will be reduced from three classes to two and the school will employ fewer teaching assistants.
The DfE has been approached for further comment.