SB 4156 32pp WEB

LATEST NEWS
Teachers witnessing distressing new levels of child poverty this winter in schools
A National Education Union snapshot poll of 1,026 teachers in England paints a harrowing picture of the increase in poverty seen in our
schools and the daily impact it is having on children and young people.
46% of teachers confirm that holiday hunger has got worse compared to three years ago. 63% of respondents say that more families are
unable to afford adequate winter clothes or shoes compared to three years ago.
46% of teachers believe that there are more housing issues (poor quality, insecure, overcrowded or temporary accommodation) compared
to three years ago. 53% of respondents believe that more children and young people will go hungry over Christmas.
40% of respondents say schools are having to provide extra items for children and young people and their families because of increased
poverty.
Further, the poll revealed that the impact of living in poverty on children and young people’s education is stark. Teachers observed a wide
range of consequences including absence from school (83%), behavioural issues (85%), concentration (81%), health (59%) and lateness to
school (79%).
Commenting on the poll, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said “This is a Dickensian picture of the
poverty that far too many children and their families are having to endure. The Government is out of touch with the distressing new reality
of children’s daily lives and with what it means to live without enough money for basics, such as food, shoes and adequate clothing.”
Independent schools’ £73 billion
contribution to the UK
Were it not for independent schools, UK GDP could have been £73
billion lower last year – according to new research revealing the
independent education sector’s value to the national economy.
In a report entitled ‘The Impact of Independent Schools on the UK
Economy’, a team of analysts at Oxford Economics also
established that, in 2017 alone, independent schools (including
those not within Independent Schools Council membership)
contributed £13.7 billion to the economy, generating £4.1 billion
of annual tax revenues and supporting 303,000 jobs, which is
more than the total number of jobs across Liverpool.
In addition, the report found that independent schools save the
taxpayer £3.5 billion every year by providing places for pupils who
could otherwise be expected to take up a place in the statefunded
sector. This is enough to build more than 20,000
affordable homes.
Commenting on the findings, ISC chairman Barnaby Lenon said
“While it is widely understood that independent schools provide a
high quality, well-rounded education, it is hugely important to
also acknowledge the significant contribution they make to the
UK economy.
“The total tax impact of ISC schools on its own last year would
have been sufficient to fund the annual employment of 108,000
nurses on average full-time pay.”
Delays to the Government’s Asbestos
Management Assurance Process
Recently the DfE reopened its ‘Asbestos Management
Assurance Process’, an exercise which asks school employers to
declare whether they are compliant with their legal duty to
manage asbestos in their schools.
Delays to the project, largely due to it not being mandatory,
mean that the findings, now not due until Spring 2019, may
come too late to properly influence next year’s comprehensive
spending review. Schools Minister Nick Gibb has stated that
68% of the 17,000 schools that have taken part in the survey
were deemed to be compliant with their legal duties. This
means that responsible bodies have only provided assurances
on around 11,500 schools – approximately half of all schools in
England – despite the survey deadline already having been
extended twice last summer, and now for a third time until
February 2019.
Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National
Education Union, said “This is totally unacceptable. We already
know that nearly 90% of schools contain asbestos and that as
asbestos ages, it deteriorates and becomes more difficult to
manage. There is already plenty of evidence about poor
standards of asbestos management across many local
authorities and academy trusts. What we urgently need is
earmarked funding to make our schools safe from this
scourge.”
Thousands of new places created in Outstanding schools
Selective schools are to introduce a range of measures to improve access for disadvantaged children after being given permission to
expand, Education Secretary Damian Hinds announced recently.
The first 16 schools to receive funding from the £50m Selective School Expansion Fund have been confirmed and all have set out clear
actions that will prioritise access for children on the pupil premium and are undertaking outreach work with local schools.
All 16 selective schools will be making changes to their admission arrangements to increase access for disadvantaged children, with over
half of the schools committing to lowering the mark required to pass the entrance test for pupil premium pupils. Many more will help pupil
premium children or children attending schools in less affluent areas prepare for their entrance tests.
Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, said “One of the stand-out features of this country’s education system is its diversity, and selective
schools are an important part of that. They include some of the best schools in this country, with almost all selective schools rated Good or
Outstanding, and they are popular with parents. So it is right that when there is need for more places in an area, these schools should be
able to expand – as other schools can – to enable as many children as possible to benefit.”
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Winter 2019 4156