According to the new forecast put forward by the Department for Education, England is set to see a 15% increase in secondary school pupils over the next ten years.
With an increase of 418,000 pupils predicted, the statistics indicate that there will be an expected figure of 3.3 million secondary school pupils by 2027. With the cause stemming from the baby boom which occurred in the early part of the 2000s, schools are now being challenged to find enough places and funding to accommodate the surplus pupils on top of the additional workload and expectations that the current system finds them in.
However, the Department for Education not only highlighted the work done by the government in recent years which saw the establishment of more school places: it also stated that a million more places would be available in 2020 compared to ten years earlier.
Image Credit
Budget Cuts
With head teachers already being forced to make drastic cuts, it seems only a matter of time before these changes begin to have an obvious impact on school life. Currently, many of these changes are done quietly behind the scenes in order to cause minimal impact on pupils, but with an increased intake inevitably placing more pressure on the already dwindling school staff, it seems only a matter of time before the ability to introduce the new 2022 curriculum is affected.
With many schools feeling the strain of budgetary issues, teachers are being looked at to help find ways to combat the potential shortage in equipment in order to prevent cuts elsewhere. Dry wipe magnetic whiteboards for schools are essential tools that are used daily in classrooms, and so some school staff may be asked to help your children with a dry wipe magnetic whiteboard for your school. Whilst all involved are hoping that the cuts to school budgets countrywide don’t lead to more staff and equipment shortages, schools are looking into ways to combat the issue themselves.
Decrease in Primary Age Pupils
Whilst a sharp increase is expected in secondary schools, the number of primary school pupils is set to level out. Compared to the current total of 4.6 million primary school pupils this year, 2027’s figures are estimating a drop of 112,000 with 4.5 million pupils expected.
