Union says schools in the East need more money to help pupils catch up after Covid
A survey by The Sutton Trust says a majority of head-teachers across the country have had to make cut-backs elsewhere as a result
A teaching union in the East is calling on the Government to give our schools more funding, quicker so they can help pupils catch up after the pandemic.
This comes after a survey from The Sutton Trust found that two-thirds of primary head teachers across the country haven't received enough funding to help pupils catch up.
It revealed that 68% of primary school senior leaders reported receiving insufficient catch-up funding this year- while 51% reported they have had to cut teaching assistants.
Other cuts reported included 35% saying they had cut support staff, and 32% saying they had cut IT equipment.
"Talking to headteachers there's a lot of frustration"
Scott Lyons is a district secretary for Norfolk's National Education Union.
He told us it vital that more is done quickly: "The funding isn't enough and more worryingly the funding isn't coming through to where it's meant to be.
"Talking to headteachers there's a lot of frustration, they are putting procedures and processes in place, as well as investing money in recruiting tutors and teachers who can make a full-time commitment to children in need.
"When the money is not following, they are going to have to find that somewhere else
"Covid has amplified pre-existing problems and school leaders from the very start of lockdown and through the pandemic have said there's got to be consistent and monumental investment to stop those gaps getting wider and wider.
"Unfortunately, they the Government have not listened and haven't put their money where their mouth is."
"That will have mental health and emotional implications that we can't predict at the moment"
Mr Lyons went on to say that there could be dire consequences if nothing is done: "We are going to have a generation that are going to have struggled going through school and are always going to feel like they are catching up and are never going to do that.
"That will have mental health and emotional implications that we can't predict at the moment. We are only going to push all that further down the line and in 10 to 20 years time trying to iron out those problems is only going to be even harder and more expensive".
"The fear is that they wouldn't be followed up by funding are starting to come to fruition"
"We want more money and more opportunities for children to have time in small groups with one to one, replacing all the relationships and experiences that they have missed over the last two years.
"Tutoring programmes have been fantastic and there's also been flexibility around that as well. But, schools have had to make those sacrifices and investments now and the fears that they wouldn't be followed up by funding are starting to come to fruition".
Secondary school heads reported being less affected, with 53% reporting that funding had been sufficient.
But a significant number of secondary school heads reported making cuts, including 24% reporting cuts to teaching staff, 28% to assistants, and 31% to support staff.
The survey also found that 33% of school heads reported dipping into the pupil premium fund for poorer students to plug gaps in their general budget.