The Institute for Fiscal Studies has said that spending per pupil in England has fallen by 8% in real terms since 2009, and it would cost £4.7 billion a year to reverse the cuts by 2022-23. It says the money pledged by the Government should just about be enough to reverse cuts, but it would take more than this to actually deliver a real-terms spending increase per pupil.

I am deeply concerned that as teachers, parents and pupils start term again, too many will be in schools that are facing an immediate financial crisis. It is therefore hard to understand why the Government has not increased funding for this year, and that next year’s funding falls £1 billion short of reversing cuts to school budgets.

On teachers’ pay, I am glad that the Government is now acting but this must not be at the expense of teaching assistants. It is vital that the Government protects these school support staff, who do such an important job, including supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Government has promised £700 million next year for children with SEND, but that is the shortfall that councils already face. The Local Government Association has put next year’s deficit at £1.2 billion. There needs to be further funding in future years.

Additionally, cuts to further education budgets have meant that learners of all ages are denied the opportunities they deserve. Cuts have been most severe in adult education, which has seen a real terms cut of nearly £1.7 billion, around 50% of its budget. The Government has also failed to provide high quality early years education for the children who need it most. I am therefore disappointed that no additional money was announced during the statement for adult education or for early years. I supported calls for the Government to address these important matters in the Spending Review on Wednesday.