Cribsheet 07.01.11

New figures show that one in six secondary schools is now in deficit

Newly released Department for Education figures show that one in six secondary schools in England is now in deficit. Nearly 2,000 nursery, primary and secondary schools are facing a shortfall. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union says this will lead to increased class sizes, a narrowing of the curriculum and a cut in the budget for equipment. The union's general secretary, Brian Lightman, said:

"The inequalities in the current funding system have led to the weak financial position many schools now find themselves in. We welcome the government's commitment to develop a national funding formula that may remove these inequalities. With all schools facing real terms budget cuts from April 2011 I have no doubt that education provision will be affected. For some schools these cuts will be nearly 5% in real terms. This will lead to increased class sizes, reduced curriculum choice and a reduction in teaching materials including ICT. Schools will make every effort to minimise the direct impact on young people's education but these cuts are bound to have a negative impact on all students."

The Department for Education pointed out that the figures are for 2009-10, ie while Labour was still in power, and that similar numbers of schools were in deficit at various times during the Labour administration. A Department for Education spokesperson said:

"These figures relate to 2009-10 for when the previous government was in power. Whilst the number of schools with a deficit has risen slightly, the number of schools in deficit is still lower than from 2002-03 to 2006-07."

At the same time, schools with too much cash in the bank are being criticised, with the Independent leading the charge against the "schools that are hoarding £400m of taxpayers cash".

The vast majority of England's schools, 20,081 or 91.9% of state funded secondary schools, were in the black at the end of 2009-10. Almost a third of these, 7,198 or 32.7%, were categorised as having excess surpluses. Between them they had £495m in excess cash reserves – an average of £68,811 above the agreed surplus.

A Department for Education spokesperson said that often, schools are in surplus when they are saving up for a big ticket item such as a refurbishment or a new sports hall or science lab, and a clawback would not be appropriate, but that the Department for Education will be "reviewing guidance on claw back arrangements including on the level of balances deemed to be excessive."

The Department for Education reiterated the coalition government's commitment to school autonomy:

"We believe that schools know best how to spend their money. Every school should be working continuously to improve its financial management, including effective budget planning, to ensure it continues to deliver effectively for its pupils. That's why we announced in the White Paper that we would be removing the requirement for local authorities to have a claw back mechanism."

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Is Michael Gove planning labour camps for teachers?

Sonny Leong writing the in the Independent describes his "total despair" at the "extravagant foolishness" of Michael Gove. "Every time he opens his mouth ignorance spews from it." Leong's goat was got yesterday by yet another Gove gaffe as the education secretary likened the Conservative's reform of the education system to the Chairman Mao's Long March. In a Telegraph interview Gove said:

"Like Chairman Mao, we've embarked on a Long March to reform our education system. Sometimes we will have to manoeuvre less than elegantly to get around obstacles. But the alternative, simply accepting the inevitability of our decline, is not an option."

Leong was driven to distraction by Gove's innapropriate choice of metaphor. He said:

[Gove's] ignorance of history is baffling and a cause of concern. Where do we get these politicians?
The Cultural Revolution was a violent mass revolution resulting in social, political and economic upheaval with over 30 million deaths. Mao singled out his enemies – landlords, rich peasants, intellectuals. In the fight against "class enemies" and "bourgeois reactionaries," teachers, people with a college degree were targeted. Entire schools of elite musicians and teams of athletes were sent to labour camps. Intellectuals were kept in prisons.
In the Cultural Revolution, learning was a crime. The crackdown on teachers, professors and intellectuals was particularly nasty. In secondary schools students humiliated and denounced their teachers. In high schools, teachers wore dunce caps and spent the whole day reciting "I am a demon" in front of classrooms filled with mocking students. Is this what Gove is advocating?

Can you exploit with the best of them?

Eagle-eyed reader Jol Miskin spotted this University of Leeds job advert for a "director of exploitation and commercialisation". Miskin said:

"How appropriate in the current climate, only confirming that the market will rule HE if current proposals are allowed to go through and the public value of HE is lost for ever."

Calling all university administrators…

We need you to check we have the right codes for your institution's courses so that we can reflect your position accurately in our University Guide 2012. Please consult our dedicated website - there's a deadline looming for any changes you may wish to make.

Competition

Children aged between seven and fourteen can now enter the Young Human Rights reporter of the year competition, run by learnnewsdesk, the Guardian's online news service for schools, and Amnesty International. A winner and two runners-up in the primary and secondary school categories will win a trip to Amnesty International and the Guardian headquarters in London as well as an MP3 recorder. The closing date for entries is 14 February.