Schools need an extra £5.7 billion, says ASCL

School funding must be increased by £5.7 billion if every child is to receive the education they deserve, according to a new report from the Association of School and College Leaders. The report, The true cost of education, warns that primary and secondary schools in England require £40.2 billion funding in 2019-20, but are only set to receive £34.5 billion. The union calculated the figure by working out how many teachers and support staff will be needed to support the number of pupils in the system next year. An ASCL survey of 407 secondary headteachers, also published today, found that almost all respondents (404) had made budget cuts since 2015, with 60 per cent saying the cuts were "severe". Speaking at the association's annual conference in Birmingham today, ASCL president Richard Sherriff warned schools will have to make deeper cuts or face insolvency unless funding improves. "We have analysed what it costs to provide the education service that our society expects and our