William Eichler 03 January 2017

Council schools will be 'undermined' by improvement budget cuts

Whitehall risks undermining council-maintained schools by dramatically cutting their improvement budgets by £400m a year, council chiefs warn.

The Government has confirmed only £50m - rather than the traditional £450m -will be allocated to councils from September 2017 to cover education improvement duties.

The grant - known as the Education Services Grant (ESG) - is used to improve schools where necessary and ensure children are well supported with speech therapy, physiotherapy and good attainment.

Cllr Richard Watts, chair of the LGA's children and young people board, said 89% of council schools are rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and warned this track record would be undermined.

‘Cutting councils' school improvement budgets risks the long term work and planning that has been put in place,’ he said.

‘Councils' track record of helping to improve schools with their local knowledge, expertise and democratic oversight cannot be ignored.’

The County Councils Network (CCN) warned last November that the slashing of the improvement budget was ‘academisation by the back door’.

They said that as council-maintained schools have very little budget of their own for improvement services, cutting the ESG would leave them vulnerable to academisation due to poor performance.

The CCN’s research also revealed that more than two thirds of academies purchase school improvement services from local authorities and so Government plans to reduce the ESG would have a negative effect on them.

'The withdrawal of ESG will have a massively detrimental impact on local primary schools and leave councils unable to support academy schools,’ said the network's chairman Cllr Paul Carter.

'Was this really the intention behind the decision? You could argue this is forced academisation by the back door.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Cabinet Assistant

Essex County Council
£24394.0000 - £28699.0000 per annum
Cabinet AssistantFixed Term, Full Time£28,699 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Adults Social Worker - West Essex

Essex County Council
£36101.0000 - £48622.0000 per annum + Flexible Working, Hybrid Working
This position is open to Experienced and Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW). The starting salary for a NQSW is £33,885 per annum, rising to £36,10 England, Essex, Harlow
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Senior Practitioner - Children in Care

Essex County Council
£45217 - £54395 per annum + + 27 Days Leave & Local Gov Pension
Senior Practitioner - Children in CareFixed Term, Full Time£45,217 to £54,395 Per AnnumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Head of Tourism – North Yorkshire Council

North Yorkshire Council
£56,443-£64,951
Our visitor economy is a priority sector for us. It adds over £4 billion of economic value a year... Northallerton/ Hybrid
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Panel Administrator

Durham County Council
Grade 5 £25,584 - £27,711
We have an exciting new opportunity for a Panel Administrator Durham (County)
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner

Partner Content

Circular highways is a necessity not an aspiration – and it’s within our grasp

Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.

Support from Effective Energy Group for Local Authorities to Deliver £430m Sustainable Warmth Funded Energy Efficiency Projects

Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.

Pay.UK – the next step in Bacs’ evolution

Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.