Family & Education
Heads face 'impossible' challenge over funding
The existing squeeze on budgets is set to get worse
November 13, 2022 13:19
The existing squeeze on budgets is set to get worse
November 13, 2022 13:19The leader of the Jewish schools’ network has called on the community to prioritise support for education as heads wrestle with an “impossible” funding challenge.
Rabbi David Meyer, chief executive of PaJeS (Partnerships for Jewish Schools), said school leaders were being placed in “an untenable position” in trying to make ends meet.
With the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt expected to announce billions of pounds of cuts to public spending in next week’s financial statement, schools are unlikely to enjoy much respite.
Forecasts made by the Stop Schools Cuts campaign suggest that the majority of Jewish schools may face above-average reductions in state support for the next academic year.
Rabbi Meyer said, “The conflation of increased fuel costs and cost of living salary increases is creating an impossible challenge…Unless parents and the community show their support, schools will be forced to make redundancies and limit provision in order to make ends meet. The impact will undoubtedly be felt by our children.”
It was therefore critical, he added, that “Jewish schools are put at the forefront of charitable needs in our community”.
According to calculations made by the School Cuts website, state spending is likely to fall by £147 per pupil in real terms in England from £6,028 this year to £5,881 in the 2023/4 academic year (a drop of around 2.4 per cent).
Projections are based on official data on the level of government funding for schools and estimates for the rise in costs next year.
The site is run by the National Education Union, supported by other teaching unions and the parents’ group ParentKind.
According to a sample of 30 Jewish schools, 18 face an above-average reduction in real terms in state funding next year, while 12 below-average.
Based on the website’s figures, the biggest losers in the Jewish state sector would be Charedi girls schools with Yesodey Hatorah in Hackney facing a loss of £385 per pupil next year; Lubavitch Senior Girls in Hackney, £314; Menorah High School in Barnet, £210; and Beis Yaakov in Salford, £204.
King David High School Manchester’s cut would be £266 per pupil, and JCoSS in East Barnet £288. Yavneh College in Hertfordshire would be hit less, though still facing an above-average cut of £165 per pupil. No figure was availablefor JFS.
The least affected would be Clore Tikva Primary in Redbridge with a projected cut of just £7 per pupil.
Earlier this year, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis appealed to parents to rally around schools amid reports of a drop in contributions from parents during the pandemic.
Jewish studies are mostly not covered by funding from the state and depend on voluntary contributions since state schools are not permitted to charge fees.
READ MORE: Chief Rabbi appeals for help as schools face budget crisis