Time for Change: The True Cost of Turbulence in Education

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, those of us working in education have felt as though we’ve been navigating a relentless storm. Five years on, that storm shows no signs of easing—and, if anything, we’re beginning to feel the strain more than ever.

What must be understood is that running a school is a community effort. It’s not just about teachers. Headteachers, teaching support staff, administrative teams, site managers, cleaning and catering teams—all play a vital role in keeping our schools functioning. Every cog in the machine matters, and every one of us has been stretched to the limit.

Last week, headlines announced that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendation of a 4% pay increase for teachers, while support staff unions are considering a 3.2% increase. These announcements came with the promise that these increases would be “fully funded.” But when we examine the breakdown, the reality falls short.

Of the 4% “fully funded” increase, only 1.7% is from new grant funding. A further 1.3% is expected to come from “budget headroom”—a vague and often non-existent reserve—and the final 1% is expected to come from so-called “efficiency savings” within already overstretched school budgets. For schools that have faced three consecutive years of unfunded pay rises, the message is clear: more cuts must be made, and they must come from budgets that no longer have any fat to trim.

Grants such as the TPAG, TPECG, and CSBG have offered short-term relief but have never fully covered the mounting costs. Adding to the pressure is the increase in National Insurance contributions. While grants have been provided to soften the blow, many schools report that the support falls short. And it’s not just salaries—schools are grappling with increased costs from service providers (such as cleaning, catering, and maintenance contractors) who themselves are impacted by these hikes.

This comes on top of the broader cost-of-living crisis. Like every household, schools are facing inflation across the board. Everything from energy to equipment now costs significantly more than it did just five years ago. Factor in the lingering effects of Brexit, and the financial landscape becomes even more hostile.

Then there are the human costs. Since the pandemic, schools have reported a marked increase in behavioural issues and a rise in Special Educational Needs (SEN) diagnoses. Yet the support required to meet these challenges—both in terms of funding and available specialists—is critically lacking. Staff wellbeing is suffering under the weight of responsibilities they are not adequately resourced to fulfil.

While the government celebrates its initiative to recruit 6,500 new teachers, it overlooks the much larger and more worrying exodus: 43,000 teaching professionals left the sector in 2022/23, following 43,900 the year before. That’s nearly 1 in 10 qualified teachers leaving state-funded schools. The most cited reasons? Stress, excessive workload, and inadequate pay. For newly qualified teachers, the situation is even more alarming—13% leave after their first year, and nearly 20% by the end of their second.

Support staff are leaving too, although these statistics are not monitored, with little incentive to stay or join the profession in the first place. With term-time-only contracts, modest hours, and annual salaries that struggle to compete with other sectors offering greater flexibility (including hybrid working arrangements), it’s no surprise education is becoming a less attractive career path.

For headteachers trying to recruit, this is more than frustrating—it’s demoralising. The headlines about “investment” and “teacher growth” ring hollow when you’re struggling to fill roles, repair buildings, and support vulnerable pupils with dwindling resources.

I hear from headteachers daily who are at breaking point. Crumbling infrastructure, obsolete technology, falling rolls, and unmanageable budgets are part of their new reality. After years of “efficiency savings,” there is simply nothing left to cut. And so they are leaving too, in increasing numbers.

Meanwhile, policymakers continue to look the other way.

Many of us hoped that the tragic death of Ruth Perry, headteacher of Caversham Primary School, would mark a turning point. Ruth took her own life following the intense stress of an Ofsted inspection—a devastating outcome that sparked widespread calls for reform. While Christine Gilbert’s review, the Education Select Committee inquiry, and the Coroner’s Regulation 28 Prevention of Future Deaths report offered insight and recommendations, little meaningful change has followed.

The system is broken. We need more than temporary grants or tweaks around the edges—we need a fundamental overhaul of how schools are funded and supported.

We need:

• A realistic, needs-based approach to per-pupil funding.

• A dedicated and sustainable plan for SEN funding and specialist provision.

• Capital funding reform to ensure buildings are safe and technology remains fit for purpose.

• A complete restructure of Ofsted, ensuring accountability and mental health considerations are placed at the heart of inspections.

Ultimately, the question must be asked: how are we still here?

The answer, I believe, is passion. Those who remain in education do so, out of commitment to the children, the belief in their potential, and the hope that things can—and must—get better.

To that end, I extend a sincere and open invitation to Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to attend one of the upcoming breakfast networking events I am coordinating in June for the Cambridgeshire School Business and Lincolnshire School Business Management networking groups. Come and speak to those of us working at the coalface. Help us understand how we’re expected to find “efficiency savings” in budgets that are already threadbare. See our challenges firsthand. See the passion that keeps us going.

Because now, more than ever, we need leaders who are willing to listen—and act.

The author

Rona Metters

Rona Metters, mother of 4, grandmother to 6! In my late 50's now, how did that happen! Not as patient and tolerant as I used to be, think it is caused by the menopause affect! Fell into School Business Management 15 years ago. Now the owner of JEM Business Consulting Ltd, we provide professional school business management and administration support to schools in Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire/Peterborough. For those that may have seen me on Twitter (it will always be Twitter to me!) then you will know that I do get on my high horse from time to time.... Follow me @JEMBusiness2020! Creator of: Cambridgeshire School Business Networking Group - Cambridgeshire School Business Networking Group - Welcome (csbn.co.uk) Lincolnshire School Business Management Network - Lincolnshire School Business Network. Some of you may also know me this year for being the author of the Petition - Grant an inquiry of the Ofsted inspection at Caversham Primary School - https://chng.it/BDHXp6RvZG - which is currently sitting at 246,991 signatures! Thank you so much to all that have signed this petition, it has been completely mind blowing.

http://www.jembusinessconsulting.com