Liverpool headteachers have told the Chancellor their schools are at breaking point ahead of Labour delegates arriving in the city for the party’s annual conference.
Heads in the city have signed an open letter to Rachel Reeves, calling on her to restore “the achievements of the last Labour government”.
The letter, signed by 29 local headteachers, claims Liverpool schools have lost £52.3 million in real terms since 2010, and 86% of the city’s schools have faced losses.
A Department for Education spokesperson said the Government does not recognise the figures quoted by heads, which come from Stop School Cuts Coalition analysis.
Karen Barr, headteacher at Dovecoat Primary School in Liverpool, said: “We are currently in a deficit budget and are providing a good education with no funding to supplement curriculum demands.
“The stress on staff is increasing and cuts to jobs are a real threat. We have a high intake of Send [special educational needs and disabilities] issues and EHCPs [Education, Health and Care Plans] with complex needs to meet and no funding to support this.”
Research by the Stop School Cuts Coalition, which is run by teaching unions the NEU, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and NAHT school leaders’ union, found earlier this month that seven in 10 schools in England have seen real-terms cuts to their budgets since 2010.
Christopher Davey, headteacher of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School in Liverpool, said real-terms budget cuts have been “devastating”.
“Need cannot be met well enough, cuts are impacting quality of provision, progress and attainment as well as staff morale and wellbeing due to the gap constantly widening between needs, funding and external expectations and pressures.”
The letter warns “years of chronic underfunding” have brought schools to breaking point, and less money means cuts to subjects, teachers and resources.
Labour’s party conference is set to kick off on Sunday in Liverpool at the ACC. While the conference is ongoing, four vans will circle the venue calling on the Government to “reverse school cuts”.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “Headteachers are making heartbreaking choices about whether to cut subjects, staff or resources just to balance the books.
“It is great to see local heads taking a stand and saying enough is enough. It is time for the Chancellor to listen to educators and restore funding for schools.”
Unions have been warning schools are facing difficult decisions about staffing to cover the full cost of the teacher pay award for 2025/26.
Government school spending per pupil grew 11% in real terms from 2019/20 to 2024/25, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). This growth was enough to reverse past real-terms cuts and take spending back to 2010 levels.
However, the IFS said almost half of this growth can be explained by spiralling spending on high needs, and the actual growth in mainstream school funding over this time is estimated to be around 5%.
In reality, the next few years are likely to continue feeling very tight for schools, IFS research fellow Luke Sibieta said earlier this year.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We do not recognise these figures. Despite our tough fiscal inheritance, this government has protected key education priorities through our Plan for Change.
“We are putting a further £3.7 billion into schools’ budgets, including increasing pupil premium to over £3 billion for 2025-26 to provide additional support for those children that need it most.
“On top of this, we are taking steps to ensure every child can achieve and thrive including by rolling out free breakfast clubs, fixing the foundations of school buildings and getting qualified teachers at the front of every classroom, teaching a cutting-edge curriculum.”
