Commenting on the Chancellor's statement to the Commons, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"If government wants to achieve the radical ambitious overhaul announced last week and ‘give every child the education they deserve,’ then it must be funded properly. Education needs investment now. The pressures facing schools and colleges are immediate and growing.
“We need to retain sufficient teachers to achieve the government's aims, and funding schools properly is the only way to achieve that. Rachel Reeves is still refusing to provide any additional money for teacher pay rises next year. This government still believes in the impossible: that schools can find cuts in existing budgets to fund a 6.5 per cent pay rise over three years.
"The National Education Union has launched online indicative ballots asking teacher and support staff members in England if they would be prepared to strike over pay, funding and workload. The current position is untenable.
“Everyone in the sector needs a long-term sustainable solution to SEND funding. Mainstream schools cannot be made to suffer when historic deficits are transferred away from local authorities in 2028.
“School budgets are running on empty and further cuts will lead to fewer staff, larger classes and more work for teachers. The Chancellor today has offered no solutions to these problems.”