Unprecedented Burden on Schools and Colleges: Association of School and College Leaders Warns

Strategic Insights -

A leading teaching union, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), has sounded the alarm on the unsustainable burden placed on schools and colleges. The union warns that schools are increasingly being forced to run food banks, support families with housing, and address societal issues that were never part of their core responsibilities. The report highlights the need for a long-term plan for education, sufficient funding for core responsibilities, and a clear strategy to distinguish between educational staff's core responsibilities and their role in addressing wider societal issues.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ASCL report emphasizes that schools and colleges are shouldering an unprecedented burden, encompassing responsibilities beyond teaching and learning, including food banks, housing support, and health checks.
  • The union argues that these services cannot continue to be the sole responsibility of schools and colleges, highlighting the need for a clear strategy and sufficient funding to address these challenges.
  • The report identifies specific responsibilities that should not be expected of schools, such as dental checks, health of pupils' families, and pupil behavior on social media out of school hours.
  • The ASCL suggests that schools might reasonably be expected to provide technology for pupils, personal hygiene support, ensure support detailed in EHCPs is met, and reduce youth violence, but only if given the proper funding and resources.
  • A study by the University of Bristol last year found that around one in five schools are running food banks and household aid services, with schools becoming the biggest source of charitable food and household aid.
  • The ASCL calls for the Government to set out a long-term plan for education, similar to the one for the NHS, and to clearly map out who is responsible for different services in local areas.
  • The union emphasizes the need for sufficient funding for core responsibilities and for the Government to invest properly in wider children's services and address child poverty.

Statistics:

  • Around one in five schools are running food banks and household aid services (University of Bristol study).
  • Schools have become the biggest source of charitable food and household aid (University of Bristol study).
  • Schools are expected to provide technology for pupils, but this would require sufficient funding.
  • Around 1 in 4 schools are running food banks and household aid services, but the exact number is not specified.
  • The Government is expected to set out its child poverty strategy in the autumn.

Sources:

  • A report by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)
  • A study by the University of Bristol last year
  • Government's expected child poverty strategy for the autumn
  • A statement by Julie McCulloch, Director of Strategy and Policy at ASCL
  • PA Archive, PA Wire, and Getty Images for the captions.