Background
Following years of underfunding, schools are in desperate need of investment. While the costs of running a school – including the basics of heating and lighting classrooms – have increased, school funding has failed to keep up.
Although the schools budget rose by around £2.3 billion for 2025-26, this is not enough to meet the rise in school costs, and more and more schools report the need to reduce staff to make ends meet.
Moreover, a damning National Audit Office Report has revealed a £13.8 billion backlog in school maintenance. A significant number of school buildings are now many years beyond their designed life expectancy, leading to serious safety concerns. Urgent funding is therefore required to restore and rebuild the school estate, and ensure schools are safe for pupils and staff.
Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has also been a casualty of insufficient funding. According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) rose by 71% between 2018 and 2024. While central funding for pupils with SEND has increased, it has not kept pace with demand. This means the funding for each EHCP has fallen by around a third in real terms. Many local authorities have accumulated large deficits in their high-needs budgets, estimated to be at least £3.3 billion.
Meanwhile, our members in schools have seen their pay and conditions decline continuously for the past fourteen years, while their workload and responsibilities have increased. Since 2010, support staff pay has reduced by 25% in real terms. An alarming 79% of our members tell us they are now concerned about coping with the cost of living and affording necessities such as food, energy, and housing.
While the spending review announced in June 2025 rightly recognises the critical importance of investing in schools, and does deliver an increase in per pupil funding, UNISON remains concerned that levels of funding are simply not high enough to reverse the crisis caused by years of austerity under the previous Government.
UNISON’s campaign
UNISON’s National Schools Committee is launching a national campaign called ‘Fund Our Future’. The campaign is calling for increased funding for schools to cover decent pay for staff, adequate staffing levels, investment in school buildings, and proper support for pupils. Branches will also be supported in local campaigns to fight cuts.
A range of campaign resources and initiatives will be available in the coming weeks and months. This will include national political activities, guidance and more.
Resources
Share our graphics and assets on your channels to increase awareness of the campaign. You can download them via the online resource library.
Join UNISON’s campaign
If your colleagues are not UNISON members, encourage them to join so they can get involved with the campaign. It only takes a few minutes to join online – together we are stronger.
