Headington school warns of cuts without full government funding
The head teacher at Cheney School says the budget is stable for now, but warns that any future cost increases not fully funded by government would lead to staff and subject cuts
A secondary school in Headington says it will be forced to cut staff and subjects if government does not fully cover rising costs.
Rob Pavey, head teacher at Cheney School, said the school is managing its budget at present, but warned there is no room left to absorb extra pressures.
“We are fine for everyday running costs, which means things can continue to improve without being strangled by lack of cash,” he said. “But any pay rises that are agreed, or any additional costs, have got to be fully funded. There isn’t a cushion left, so if they aren’t funded it ends up being a cut.”
He explained that while the Department for Education has sometimes provided supplementary money when costs increase, it has not always covered the full amount. “If you don’t get the full amounts, it ends up being a cut,” he said.
Further pressure was highlighted in January 2025 by the School Cuts coalition, which reported that 94% of secondary schools and 76% of primary schools will be unable to meet their costs next year. It projected that cost increases of 3.4% would outpace funding rises of just 2.2%, leaving schools across England with a shortfall of about £700 million.
Mr Pavey warned that if funding does not keep pace with costs in future years, the school will have to make reductions. “If there are additional cost increases which aren’t matched with increases in funding, we would have to make really difficult decisions,” he said. “It would have to be staffing reductions, and that would start having a direct impact on the curriculum and on the support we offer to our highest needs learners.”
His warning reflects national concerns raised in January 2025 by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which found that mainstream school funding in England is set to rise by 2.8% in 2025–26, while costs are expected to increase by 3.6%, mainly because of teacher pay rises. The report warned that the gap would risk reductions in pastoral support, curriculum options and classroom resources, and could lead to larger class sizes.
He added that Cheney School is currently in a stronger financial position than some other schools, but said even small funding gaps could quickly cause problems. “Even fairly modest increases which are not fully funded can quickly turn into cuts,” he said.
In January, The Department for Education (DfE) acknowledged the concerns raised by school leaders regarding funding pressures. In response, the DfE implemented measures to address these challenges.
For the 2025–26 financial year, the government has allocated an additional £2.3 billion to the core schools budget, bringing the total to £63.9 billion. This increase aims to support schools in managing rising costs, including staff pay and national insurance contributions.
Additionally, the DfE has announced a further £900 million to assist mainstream schools and high needs providers with the financial impact of National Insurance changes in the same period.