Cost of living crisis: Schools facing 'catastrophic' cost increases warn Calderdale governors

That is the stark warning from Calderdale Governors Association to the Department for Education (DfE) as schools across the borough face what they say are “catastrophic” rises.

In a letter to the Department of Education, they have expressed concern over “the substantial negative impact on our schools and students regarding the catastrophic cost increases schools are facing”.

Parts of the letter were read out to Calderdale councillors by Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services Councillor Adam Wilkinson at a recent council meeting.

It also says recent staff pay awards were deserved but inadequately funded and “uncapped, unpredictable enormous energy price rises” coupled with an inflation rate of above eight per cent and likely to exceed 18 per cent - all in the wake of the pandemic - increased concern about sustainability of school finances.

Councillor Dot Foster (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) had asked Coun Wilkinson at a full council meeting if he could give school leaders any assurances on the cost of energy over the winter.

“Because it’s really going to absolutely cripple school budgets,” she said, adding that underfunding for repairs and resulting crumbling school buildings did not help the situation.

Councillor Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) said the situation was against the background of a decade of cuts and he had been recently contacted by a range of concerned people about the situation.

“It’s CEOs of multi-academy trusts, it’s the Calderdale Governors’ Association,” he said, before quoting from the association’s letter.

“I think it really brings home the level of concern and anger that there is,” he said.

The hard-hitting letter to the DfE says: “I must tell you that we’ve been disappointed, angry, felt let down and unsupported by the DfE’s abysmal performance of the last 30 months and really do hope and expect you, the department, and Government to produce urgent, effective action to stabilise schools’ financial situation.”

The Courier reported at the beginning of last month how Halifax headteachers were warning schools may even have to axe staff if more was not done to help them through the cost of living crisis.