Examining Schools: What’s the Future for Secondary Education?

The secondary education sector has experienced significant shocks in recent years, with the pandemic severely disrupting pupil learning. The early months of 2023 saw widespread industrial action by teachers. Unions claimed that staff, especially school leaders, face “intolerable pressure” from Ofsted. Teachers’ salaries have fallen in real terms for over a decade whilst workloads continued to rise. Recruitment and retention in the profession is still a significant challenge.

A report in 2022 by the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed that education in the UK is not tackling inequality. The attainment gap between children from disadvantaged and affluent backgrounds has remained constant over the last ten years, despite major efforts to redress the balance.

In October 2022, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers reported on the financial crisis besetting many schools: “Schools are cut to the bone. This will mean cutting teaching hours, teaching assistants and teachers.”

The Revd Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Community Learning which runs 52 Academies nationally, has expressed his frustration at projected governments cuts in an interview with the Observer. He said: “Any government that neglects the welfare and education of its children had better be saving up for its future mental health and benefits bills, and investing in the justice system.”