WARRINGTON Borough Council has called the proposed increase for pupil funding in schools 'inadequate.'

The funding increase proposed is two per cent - which in real terms, is a funding cut, given inflationary pressures and high costs.

It was reported by the Warrington Guardian that secondary schools in the town were facing a combined real-term cut of £2.3 million, whilst primary schools are facing cuts of £2.6 million.

On average, primary schools in Warrington are facing cuts of more than £38,500 per school - which, broken down across the number of pupils, averages a loss of £142 per child in primary education in the town for the coming academic year of 2023/24.

For the same academic year, each secondary school is facing a real-term cut of around £189,000 - nearly £220 lost for every pupil in secondary education.

Per pupil funding has seen a proposed increase of two per cent, but with costs rising higher and inflation climbing, the funding is not keeping pace, which is why it amounts to a real-term cut.

Warrington Borough Council has called this method of predicting funding cuts 'extremely speculative,' and is an 'unhelpful representation of the current position for schools.'

At the same time, the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) released a report highlighting the 'current position for schools' across the country.

The report shows that 50 per cent of schools are considering cutting teaching jobs, and two-thirds are weighing up the decision to axe teaching assistant staff, too.

Despite playing down the economic devastation hitting schools across Warrington, and the country, a Warrington Borough Council spokesperson added: "It’s fair to say that the current proposed increase of per-pupil funding of around two per cent is inadequate in the face of the cost pressures."

The Government's watchdog - Ofsted - has encouraged schools to spend more money on provisions for students with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), but the NAHT report shows that SEND support may be one of the first things hit by budget cuts.

One SEND coordinator told the Warrington Guardian: "I worry that as time goes on, there will be even more needs to meet with even fewer resources and this does scare me."

The council was asked about provisions for SEND children in Warrington, but it did not comment on this.