Two in five academy trusts plan to shun the government’s flagship National Tutoring Programme this year as confidence in finances plummets amid soaring costs, a survey suggests. The Confederation of School Trusts found just 58 per cent expected to use some or all of their government-subsidised tutoring provision this year, down from 75 per cent last year. It comes after the Department for Education subsidy was slashed, leaving schools and trusts to find half of the money themselves. 鈥淭he main difference is that now trusts do not expect to be able to match the funding, with rule changes meaning trusts are now expected to fund a larger proportion of costs themselves,鈥 CST warned. Overall, the survey pointed to a 鈥渟ignificant reduction in financial confidence for the sector鈥. In last year鈥檚 survey, 77 per cent of CEOs said they were very or quite confident about the financial sustainability of their trust. This year 46 per cent said the same. Just twelve per cent said they were very confident, and 43 per cent reported feeling quite confident. The number of CEOs saying they were not very confident rose from 3 per cent last year to 15 per cent, and a further 4 per cent said they were not confident 鈥渁t all鈥. Trusts ‘stepping in to fill the gaps’ CST chief executive Leora Cruddas warned the 鈥渓ong-term impacts of the pandemic, the shock of high inflation on energy and wage costs, and concerns about the school estate means too many school trusts are now worrying about the basics鈥. 鈥淭hey are often stepping in to fill the gaps left by over-stretched council and NHS services, even as they find their own budgets under intense pressure.鈥 Leora Cruddas Asked about the biggest risks to financial sustainability, 40 per cent cited teaching staff costs, 36 per cent general inflation, 31 per cent difficulty planning ahead, 31 per cent energy costs and 29 per cent SEND. Budgetary constraints were also the main cited barrier to achieving CEOs鈥 overall priorities, with 79 per cent saying this needed addressing. Recruitment and retention was cited by 54 per cent and workload issues by 32 per cent. Twenty-four per cent also flagged concerns about engagement with the Department for Education. But Cruddas said trusts were also 鈥渕aking their own weather鈥. 鈥淭hey are pressing ahead with professional development to help their staff do better, and regularly reaching out beyond their organisations to work with the wider sector and the community. There is still a joyous and wonderful spirit in our schools and trusts.鈥 The survey results also show how the state of school buildings was a concern even before the RAAC crisis unfolded in August, which was after the survey was conducted. At the time, more than half of trusts said they had one or more school building past their economic life or at risk of failure. Seventy-nine per cent said they had 鈥渁t least some鈥 buildings with 鈥渟erious defects or that are not operating adequately鈥. One in five trusts 鈥榰nsure鈥 about growth Around two-thirds of CEOs expected their trusts to grow over the next academic year, but 22 per cent were unsure about growth. Some 鈥渇elt they did not meet – or did not understand – the criteria required by their Department for Education regional director, even when they had schools willing to join鈥. Others cited 鈥減erceived changes in the political landscape鈥. One said: 鈥淲e are seeking growth through [local authority] schools, but the lack of political drive towards academisation has slowed down this pipeline.鈥 Another reported that 鈥渟chools are interested in joining but there are still plenty of myths to bust, plus the 拢25,000 conversion grant no longer seems to cover the cost of conversion, especially of church schools鈥. Concerns over recruitment Asked what would pose the biggest challenges this year, recruitment 鈥渆merged as the foremost concern鈥. More than three quarters of leaders said they expected it to be challenging. Leaders were 鈥渕ore confident in their ability to retain staff and improve staff wellbeing, highlighted as a priority by the majority of trusts鈥. Fifty-eight per cent of CEOs indicated they offered flexible working benefits to teachers and staff, while 15 per cent offered them for support staff alone. But 26 per cent said they did not offer any form of flexible working. Academies are allowed to deviate from national pay and conditions for their staff. However, despite this 鈥渓ong-standing freedom鈥, CST found just 2 per cent of CEOs reported that they did not follow the national arrangements for either teachers or support staff. 鈥楥oncerns鈥 over CEOs as governance leads The report also warned that trusts are struggling to recruit local governors. Seventy-seven CEOs reported open vacancies for their local tier of governance, compared to 53 per cent who reported vacancies at trust board level. The survey also found that four in 10 trusts did not have a dedicated governance professional. Just over a fifth of trusts reported that their chief executive was the lead on governance, and this 鈥渞aises some concerns鈥. 鈥淭o be effective, governance requires a strong degree of independence and separation between the executive and non-executive. 鈥淭o do otherwise compromises true accountability in governance. Trusts should also check their articles of association, as most explicitly prohibit the CEO from also serving as the governance professional.鈥
Tracy Doyle 5 October 2023 Your Maths are wonky here: In last year鈥檚 survey, 77 per cent of CEOs said they were very or quite confident about the financial sustainability of their trust. This year 46 per cent said the same. Just twelve per cent said they were very confident, and 43 per cent reported feeling quite confident. The number of CEOs saying they were not very confident rose from 3 per cent last year to 15 per cent, and a further 4 per cent said they were not confident 鈥渁t all鈥.