Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pledge of an extra £14 billion to schools over the next three years will come as a relief after years of austerity.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, called last Friday’s announcement “very positive” — although adding that it should have been accompanied by a note of apology to campaigners who had long argued the need for extra cash. 

As a BBC Panorama programme highlighted last week, many headteachers have struggled to balance the books.

According to the website School Cuts — which is supported by the NEU and other unions including the National Association of Headteachers — schools would have needed an additional £5.4 billion over the past three years to keep pace with rising costs.

Nine out of every ten schools have suffered a loss of income in that time, School Cuts calculated. 

In the Jewish sector, some of the worst hit schools have been in Hackney and Manchester.

The cross-communal JCoSS in East Barnet was more than £2 million short of what it should have received from government to cover rising costs and inflation in the three academic years from 2015/16 to  2018/19.

Another Jewish secondary school, King David High in Manchester, was nearly £800,000 down on what it required over the same period, according to School Cuts.

But King David chairman of governors Joshua Rowe said the situation was even worse: the school had suffered a net loss of £1 million in six years, while to cover rising grants it would have required an additional £600,000.

“What we get from government is sufficient for bog-standard secondary education,” he said. 

“Anything for excellence we have to provide ourselves. Compared to London schools [funding], it’s a miracle we achieve anything.”

King David’s reliance on financial support from parents and donors is clear from the government’s own data. In 2017-18, the school had an income of £5.54 million, but more than a fifth of that, £1.17 million, was “self-generated”, resulting from parental contributions and fundraising appeals.

Patrick Moriarty, head of JCoSS,  said he could not comment on the School Cuts figures because “we haven’t seen the calculations behind them”.

But he added, “There is no doubt that costs have risen considerably faster than funding over many years. We welcome any additional funding to alleviate the extremely tight situation that exists in all schools.”

The striking success of Jewish schools, he said, “does not mean we are immune to these acute challenges. A sustainable and viable financial settlement is needed, so that schools can focus on the vital job that society asks us to do.”

Kirsten Jowett, chief executive of the United Synagogue’s new Jewish Community Academy Trust — a network of four schools with a fifth soon to join — said, “Most schools have had their funding cut by local authorities and Jewish schools are unfortunately no exception”.

The impact of funding cuts, she explained, was “one of the reasons we formed JCAT. The economies of scale JCAT affords its member schools should lessen their blow.”
Despite funding cuts, she added, “our schools continue to perform strongly. This data shows how voluntary contributions from parents are fundamental to the success of Jewish schools, and we have campaigned and will continue to campaign for them.”

According to School Cuts, just two Jewish schools had an overall rise in income per pupil over the past three years, Simon Marks in Stoke Newington and Sinai in Kenton.
Spencer Lewis, executive head of Yavneh College in Borehamwood — which was nearly £750,000 short according to Schools Cuts — commented,  “While per pupil income has pretty much remained static, costs have risen sharply. 

“Thus it remains a very challenging task for all headteachers to balance school budgets and to provide everything that the pupils in their care need.”