The True Cost of Education 

School leaders’ and teachers’ unions have for years talked about the lack of funding directed to schools.  So, in 2018, the Government challenged the Headteachers’ Union, ASCL, to come up with a figure which would represent what schools actually need to do their job to the standard we might all expect.   

ASCL took that challenge and produced a report ‘The True Cost of Education’ which was published in March 2019.  The report concluded that primary and secondary schools in England required £40.2 billion of funding in 2019-20.  In that year, they had actually been allocated £34.5 billion. 

ASCL calculated the figure by working out how many teachers and support staff were needed to support the number of pupils in the system that year.  They based this on all staff having sufficient preparation time, leaders having time to quality assure provision, a maximum secondary class size of 30, a broad and diverse curriculum and all students being taught by a qualified teacher. 

That £5.7 billion gap represented underfunding of 16.5%.   In simple terms, in 2019, it meant that each and every student was being short-change by around £800.  And that was before Covid and the impact this had on children’s health, wellbeing, behaviour and attendance which has probably made that gap even greater. 

For a school the size of Hessle High, this represents around a million pounds of ‘lost’ funding.  Just to give a sense of the difference that could make, with one million pounds, we could: 

• Employ around 15-20 extra teachers (taking all employer costs into account) which would reduce class sizes significantly, or 

• Employ around 30 teaching assistants to provide more targeted support, or 

• Equip every student with a digital learning device and equip a raft of rooms with upgraded ICT  

• Provide all students with an overseas educational visit (and a domestic one) each year or 

• Much else besides..... 

Most people have little interest in Government Bonds and Gilt Yields.  However, since 2021 following Liz Truss’ budget and recently since the Rachel Reeves budget, these have increased.  Which essentially means the Government has to pay more interest on the money it borrows.  The extra cost of borrowing money has more than wiped out the £5.7bn that could have been given to schools.   

Children’s education isn’t just essential to their lives, it is crucial to all our futures, especially when we are ‘going for growth’ in our economy.  And yet, we still have not made the argument that schools need to be funded fully.  In 2010, 5.7% of our GDP was spent on education; it is now only 4.1%.   

The public, and media, seldom talk about a crisis in schools, or that education is broken, in the same way that we talk about the situation in the NHS.  I’m not sure why that is the case; maybe we are too good at ‘making do’ with what we’ve got?  

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Another reminder that we will be trialing a potential new lunch format during the w/c 3 February.  In the longer term, it is our desire to have all students taking break and lunch at the same time.  For the most up to date information, please see the letter attached here. 

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As we approach the fifteenth week of January, I would like to praise all of our students for how they have conducted themselves during some cold, wet and windy weather.  Attendance continues to rise and behaviour is improving even more, term on term.  Your support with this is invaluable and greatly appreciated.  Thank you. 

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Weather permitting, tonight I am driving to Sheffield to see Hull City.  My son is a passholder at Hull City and goes to the games with his friends.  They are all too young to go to an away game on their own, so it falls to the parents to take turns to take them on roadtrips.  Tonight it is my turn.  The last time I stepped foot in the Bramall Lane ground was in 1988 to see Bruce Springsteen on his Tunnel of Love tour.  I suspect much has changed since then and I will not be hearing the music I love but instead the many chants sung by the City fans, most of which my son knows by heart and sings all over the house.  I’m looking forward to it.  It is the passing of the sporting baton from one generation to the next. 

Meanwhile, my wife and daughter have invited my mum over for a ‘Girls’ Night’, which I’m told involves Prosecco, Cheesecake, a Bridget Jones film and a pedicure.  I’m definitely glad I’m going to Sheffield. 

Have a lovely weekend and thank you as always for your support.  

Mr Groak

Headteacher

Firstly, let me take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year and a healthy and prosperous 2025. 

It has been a decidedly chilly first week of the new term and, whilst it took a few hours for the school to warm up on Monday, it reminded me just how bad it used to be before our new school was built.  I remember the old site when it would be either sub zero for months in the winter and tropical for the same time in the summer.  There would be about two weeks in April and two weeks in October when the temperature in the buildings was ‘just right’. 

I appreciate that it isn’t easy for students in these conditions.  Unlike primary schools and in most modern schools, students are not provided with lockers or ‘pegs’ on which to store their outdoor wear or bags and they have to cope with carrying them with them each day.  Lockers were not built into our school design and there simply is not the space to install them in the current building design.  Nor do students have a base room where they could safely leave their bags, coats and equipment as all rooms are used constantly throughout the day.  I wish it were different or had money to change this but neither is possible. 

As a result, we ask students to bring outdoor wear to keep warm and ask that they bring a bag in which to store it during the day.  Where this becomes wet, we are soon to give them a suitable plastic bag to put their coat into which can then go into their school bag.  In cold weather such as this week, we are also allowing students to keep their outerwear on when in the canteen as they come and go from here during lunch.  I have to say that students cope very well with this in general and we have few problems with these measures in place.   

Next week, the temperature ticks up a little so we will not have ‘cold weather’ day in place and students will be expected to remove outer wear in the canteen at unstructured times.   

Thank you for your ongoing support with uniform standards which remain exceptionally high. 

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A new year is always a great opportunity for a fresh start.  I spoke to all our students in successive assemblies on Monday and praised their resilience for being in school, on time, on such a dreadful cold and wet morning.  I also praised their attendance which, at that point, was 100% for the year!  Maintaining high levels of attendance through the winter is not easy for young people; nevertheless, the benefits of being in school, socially and academically, are proven beyond doubt so we continue to celebrate high levels of attendance and the resilience shown by our students. 

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Last night we held our latest Parent First event which focused on how parents can support Year 11 students with their studies in English.  We had over 60 families present who heard tips and advice from Mr Burnett, Mr Kay and Head of Department, Mrs O’Loughlin.  Between them they have decades of experience of preparing students for success in their exams and I am delighted that they willing to give up their evening to share it with parents and students.  I hope that those in attendance found it useful.  Watch this space for more information on these events for other subjects and year groups. 

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Finally, it is a quiet weekend in the Groak household over the next few days as we rest and recuperate after the first week of term. Thankfully, the weather is improving slightly and the winter sunshine always invites me to put on my running shoes and get out for some exercise.  Whatever you may be doing, stay warm and safe and thank you for your ongoing support. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher