A Cost of Learning Crisis: Schools want you to know numbers don't add up when it comes to funding
ITV News Anglia's Cost of Learning Crisis series has shone a spotlight on the challenges facing our education system, based on exclusive research and the first-hand testimony of teachers. Series producer VICTORIA LEGGETT reflects on what their responses have taught us.
Talking to headteachers at the moment can be a sobering experience.
There are the ones struggling to recruit staff because, they say, the pay and conditions are pushing away experienced teachers and scaring away the potential trainees.
The ones who do have the staff fear they cannot afford to give them the resources and opportunities they need to do the job well.
And, once they look properly at their budgets, they realise they probably cannot afford the staff they have either - and are in the process of working out who to cut.
Calling it a Cost of Learning Crisis may seem a little glib, but as this investigation has progressed, it has becoming increasingly clear that that is exactly what it is.
Teachers and headteachers can often be a difficult group for journalists to pin down.
Many do not want to put a spotlight on their school, let alone say something that could attract attention or criticism.
But when we contacted school leaders - many via their local headteacher associations - it soon became clear that, this time, they really wanted to speak.
If a head said no to an interview, it was often followed by "I would, but we're so short staffed and there just isn't time".
Explore the responses from 250 headteachers for yourself in this interactive graphic
Unions thanked ITV News Anglia for shining a light on the teachers leaving the profession while a number of headteachers said they were grateful for the chance to speak about their financial struggles.
When given the opportunity, no one is holding back or sugar-coating what they say.
And the stories that they have shared have been pretty shocking.
From the IT teacher entering social media competitions in the desperate hope of winning laptops for his school, to the headteacher lying awake at night trying to work out how they can balance the books.
One teacher entered competitions in The Beano to win equipment for his school
Teachers are sitting in cars dreading having to walk into the classroom, and wondering if they will ever be able to afford to buy a house without changing profession.
Many schools feel they have no choice but to ask parents and community groups to do more - paying more towards a now-rare school trip, donating tech supplies, participating in fundraising events or buying books and pens from an Amazon Wishlist.
But at a time when families are feeling the squeeze just as much, they know it is a big ask.
The government points to a record-level of funding for schools - with an extra £2.3bn for schools this year.
That, ministers say, should be used to cover pay increases, rises in energy bills and the impact of inflation on other costs.
Of course, there are many parts of the country that can only dream of that sort of investment.
But when you split that between the thousands of schools across the country, you can begin to see why schools are still struggling.
An average primary school gained £35,000 but for many that did not even cover the staff pay award agreed by the government.
One school told us their energy bills alone had increased by nearly £300,000.
And the issues do not stop with rising bills - falling pupil numbers are another worry for many.
The majority of a school's funding will be determined by how many children they have enrolled.
Schools get a set amount per student - averaging £7,460 next year - but a lower birth rate five years ago means many are finding they are losing out on that too.
One headteacher explained: "Pupil numbers have dropped significantly since pre-Covid times and this has (and will) impact on our funding so next year we will have to combine classes and reduce staffing costs."
No-one is under the delusion that there is a magic money tree sitting somewhere in the Department for Education.
But it will not stop headteachers hoping for a bigger share of what is there.
As one leader put it: "This is our children’s futures. Value it: fund it."
How do you feel about the challenges facing the education system? Let us know your views - email anglianews@itv.com
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