As the party conference season ends, I’ve been reflecting on some of the key themes that were raised over the course of the three main conferences.
Most of the discussions we held centred around the challenges faced by schools: accountability, funding, exclusions and the shortage of teachers. Our diverse panellists all had different views about the causes and possible solutions to these issues. But there was general (not absolute) consensus on the ability of schools to tackle problems that are beyond their control, including poverty, domestic trauma and mental health issues.
The burden on schools has, arguably, become heavier since austerity measures took effect. Since 2009/10, local authority spending (per head) on children’s services has fallen by 16 per cent and is due to fall by a further 4 per cent by 2019-20. This represents a cut of a fifth over the entire period.
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