Commenting on the Chancellor’s speech to the Commons, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Assuming the OBR’s projections are correct, the Chancellor has announced the first increase in schools’ spending power since 2019. Schools should have about the same amount as when Boris Johnson left office, but this is still a long way short of where it was in 2010. We are concerned this may not be enough to fix some of the fundamental problems facing schools.
“Primary class sizes are the highest in Europe and secondary class sizes are the highest since records began. More than a million pupils are taught in classes over 30.
“We have the worst teacher recruitment and retention crisis in a generation because teachers are expected to work too hard for too little pay. The Government must invest to fully fund the improvements to pay and conditions that are essential to solving the recruitment and retention crisis.
“The provision of education for children with special needs and disabilities is broken and the system needs additional transitional funding to allow a reformed system to be built.
“We are pleased the Chancellor has increased investment in the maintenance of school buildings by more than £2bn a year. This will make a significant difference as they had been left to rot for the last 15 years with thousands unfit for use.
“We applaud the Chancellor's decision to extend free school meals to all children whose parents receive universal credit and the increased spending on school meals which will make them more nutritious. Hopefully this is the first step to the introduction of universal FSM for all children and young people.”