Cash crisis is forcing many secondary schools in the UK to cut around 15,000 staff. Teaching unions have stated that a total of £2.8 billion drop in real term funding has caused schools to be driven to the breaking point. An analysis of the figures from, the government shows that half of those staff that got cut were actually classroom teachers. 

Secondary schools in the UK have, so far in the last two years, lost a total of 15,000 teachers as well as teaching assistants. This has resulted in classes that are bigger and pupils getting less individual attention. Unions have stated that these job cuts stemmed from the funding cuts of £2.8 billion in schools and budgets now are at its breaking point. A number of schools are dealing with deficits. Over half of those that belong in multi-academy chains have even sounded off their warnings concerning the funding.

Based on analysis of the figures coming from the government, the losses amounting to 15,000 jobs equal to a reduction average of 5.5 members of support and teaching staff for every secondary school since the year 2015. About half of these numbers were classroom teachers. They are being lost at a period where there is a growing number of pupils. The situation has a very good chance of deteriorating where nine out of every ten secondary and primary schools in the country, which totals to 17,942, are going to be affected by the funding cut for the period 2015- 19

Some of the largest cuts in the staffing are in the areas that have received the lowest funding for every pupil. This includes central Bedfordshire, Derby, East Riding in Yorkshire, Milton Keynes, York, the Isle of Wight, as well as Reading. Meanwhile, the student population in the country has increased by 4,500 as the bulge of the population starts to move from the primary schools to the secondary ones.

Averaged, the staff cut means 2.4 classroom teachers cut, 1.6 teaching assistants being removed, and 1.5 support staff that is without a job for every secondary school. This has been going on since 2015. Unions have stated that the funding formula which the government has just recently adopted, will just not be able to resolve the issue. Significant investments need to be made if they are to make any progress.

Aside from reporting to job cuts, schools also have to resort to reducing the number of subjects that are being offered to their students. The same is true for their extracurricular activities too, in most schools, parents are now the ones being asked to make contributions for extracurricular activities.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Education has refuted the figures coming from the unions. Apparently, £41 billion is being invested in the funding of core schools for 2017-18 and another £43.5 billion for the 2019-20 period. Apparently, there are 15,000 more teachers inside classrooms as well and there are 32,000 trainee teachers that have just been recruited recently.

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