Half of England’s state secondaries forced to cut staff in budget squeeze, poll finds

Half of secondary schools in England have been forced to cut staff this year due to financial pressures that are pushing many “towards breaking point”, according to polling.

As well as cuts to teaching and support personnel, there has been a marked increase in the proportion of secondary school leaders having to reduce subject choice at GCSE to save money, while extracurricular activities, school trips and investment in IT have also been hit.

Pupil premium money, intended to support the most disadvantaged children, was also increasingly being diverted to plug budget gaps elsewhere, according to 45% of secondary heads – up from 32% last year.

The findings are based on a survey of 1,200 teachers across 1,000 schools by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) on behalf of the Sutton Trust education charity, which said the financial squeeze threatened to undermine the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

More schools are having to make cuts this year, the polling suggests. The proportion of secondary leaders cutting teachers has gone up from 38% in 2024 to 51%, while 50% reported cuts to teaching assistants, up from 41% last year.

“State schools are overwhelmed with financial pressures and many are rapidly heading towards breaking point,” said Nick Harrison, the chief executive of the Sutton Trust, which is calling for a new national strategy to close the attainment gap.

“This is having a devastating impact on their ability to provide the support that the most disadvantaged pupils need, with almost half of secondary school leaders forced to use funding intended for poorer pupils to plug budget holes. If action isn’t taken, we will be failing the next generation.”

The proportion of school leaders having to reduce GCSE choices rose from 29% to 33%, while at A-level it went from 23% to 29%. More than half (53%) cut spending on trips and outings, up from 50% last year, while 33% reported cuts to sports and other extracurricular activities, up from 27%.

More than half of school leaders had cut spending on trips and outings. Photograph: chrispictures/Alamy

And despite the government’s call for a “digital revolution” based on artificial intelligence in schools, 48% of participating secondary leaders reported cuts to IT equipment, up from 36%. The situation was even bleaker in primary schools, where 56% reported IT cuts.

Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “No school leader wants to be in the position of losing teachers or support staff, but the financial situation facing schools and colleges has seldom been as grim as it is right now.”

A grant supposed to cover the increase to employer national insurance contributions had fallen short by tens of thousands of pounds in many cases. Di’Iasio said: “And the government is set to make the situation even worse by its proposal to implement a teachers’ pay award for 2025-26 without the funding necessary to enable schools to afford those costs.”

James Bowen, the assistant general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “We’ve heard of schools having to fundraise for basics like paper, online learning resources and school trips – this can’t be right. While public finances may be tight, it remains essential that children’s education and futures are prioritised, and it’s vital this is reflected in the three-year spending review in June.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “This government has protected key education priorities through our plan for change. In 2025-26, we are putting a further £3.2bn into schools’ budgets and increasing pupil premium to over £3bn to provide additional support for those children that need it most.”