Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

School Costs and Employer’s National Insurance Contributions

Monday 28 April 2025 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mr Richard Holden questioned the Minister about school budget cuts and redundancies, to which the Minister responded with a commitment to supporting teachers with a 5.5% pay award.
  • James Wild highlighted warnings from headteachers about funding gaps due to the Chancellor's jobs tax, to which the Minister replied that the Government is committed to protecting key educational priorities with extra money from national insurance contributions.
  • Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst questioned the logic of VAT and national insurance increases affecting school standards and staff retention, to which the Minister responded by accusing the Conservative party of scaremongering and lacking a plan for education.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Education Taxation
Context

A constituent therapist in a school trust has been informed about redundancy. The letter mentions cuts being made to stay afloat, affecting teaching assistants, social, emotional, and mental health staff, and other support staff.

Question

Many heads, teachers and support staff who are worried about school budgets have been in touch with me. I recently had a letter from a therapist saying she is being made redundant due to cuts, and another constituent asks: 'Why have Labour voted for unfunded pay rises and National Insurance Tax increases if they cannot support schools with the cost of these proposals?'

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

The Government are committed to supporting teachers to stay in the profession and to thrive, which is why we accepted the schoolteachers pay review body 2024-25 recommendation in full, implementing a 5.5% pay award. That means that teachers and school leaders have had a combined increase of 17% over the last three years.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address the question about why Labour supported unfunded measures if they cannot support schools with these costs, but provided information on pay increases.

How: General Statement

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Q2 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Education Economy Taxation
Context

Headteachers have warned that the gap in funding to cover the Chancellor's jobs tax is equivalent to losing more existing teachers than the Government are planning to recruit.

Question

Headteachers are warning that the gap in funding to cover the Chancellor’s jobs tax is equivalent to losing more existing teachers than the Government are planning to recruit. I have heard this message loud and clear from headteachers on my recent school visits, and unfunded pay awards will just make this worse. Why is the Education Secretary not standing up for our schools?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

This Labour Government have made some tough decisions to fix the foundations of our economy and our public services. We make no apologies for doing what the last Government failed to do while in office. The extra money from national insurance contributions means we can protect key educational priorities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address why the Education Secretary is not addressing these concerns but provided a general response about Labour's approach.

How: General Statement

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Q3 Neil Shastri-Hurst Con Solihull West and Shirley
Education Taxation
Context

VAT is pushing more students into the state sector, increases in national insurance are squeezing staff budgets, yet the Government say their ambition is to improve school standards and staff retention.

Question

Can the Minister solve this equation? VAT is pushing more students into the state sector and increases in national insurance are squeezing staff budgets, yet the Government say their ambition is to improve school standards and staff retention. How does that add up?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

This is just scaremongering from the Conservative party, because the Tories have no plan for the future of our education system. They have no plan to deliver high and rising standards. Their only education priority is to hand tax breaks back to private schools, which means cutting free breakfast clubs, cutting school-based nurseries and cutting school building.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address how the conflicting issues align with their ambitions but instead criticized the opposition's lack of a plan.

How: Criticizing Opposition

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Q4 Louie French Con Old Bexley and Sidcup
Education Taxation
Context

Schools in the constituency are outraged that Labour's tax rises are forcing them to cut resources and staff while the Government demand that teachers do more.

Question

I have been contacted by schools in my Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency that are outraged that Labour’s tax rises are forcing them to cut resources and staff while the Government demand that teachers do more. One teacher told me that, as a proud trade unionist, she had always voted Labour, but feels completely betrayed. She says: ‘Labour have made the situation in schools 10x worse letting students and teachers down’. Is she right? Labour has betrayed teachers, students and schools.

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

Schools funding is increasing by over £3.2 billion compared with 2024-25, meaning that core school budgets will total over £64.8 billion this year. The last Government sat on the pay review recommendations, leaving it for this Government to clean up. The Conservative party’s record on education was dismal; school buildings were crumbling and teachers were leaving the profession.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address whether the teacher's sentiment is accurate but provided information about funding increases and criticized the previous government's handling of schools.

How: Criticizing Opposition

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Q5 Sam Rushworth Lab Bishop Auckland
Education
Context

The school is making teaching assistants redundant after years of real-term cuts and the chief executive's pay has increased by £30,000 over two years to £275,000.

Question

I am deeply concerned about the funding of Howden-le-Wear primary school in my constituency. After years of real-terms cuts, it is now making four teaching assistants redundant. I will write to the Minister on that to seek her support, but the elephant in the room is that the pay of the chief executive of the multi-academy trust of which it is a member has increased £30,000 over the last two years, taking it to £275,000. That is the equivalent of 12 teaching assistants. Which does she think would be better: one CEO or 12 teaching assistants?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Catherine McKinnell)

Executive pay must be justifiable and must reflect the responsibility an individual takes on, alongside local retention and recruitment needs. We engage with trusts on levels of executive pay, and I would be more than happy to discuss the matter further with my hon. Friend.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly answer whether one CEO or 12 teaching assistants is better but provided information about engagement on executive pay issues.

How: Providing General Information

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Q6 Laura Trott Con Sevenoaks
Education Children & Families
Context

The Conservative MP notes headteachers' stress due to funding issues and questions the government's commitment to education after introducing a bill that they claim will harm standards in English schools. Laura Trott mentions broken promises on national insurance contributions compensation.

Question

Not only has the Education Secretary introduced a Bill to this place that will destroy standards in English schools, but now she has broken her promises on national insurance contributions compensation and is leaving schools in an impossible funding situation. Every MP has heard from headteachers who are stressed beyond belief at how to manage their funding. Can the Secretary of State guarantee that worried headteachers up and down the country will not have to make teachers redundant because of her broken promises: yes or no?

Answer from Catherine McKinnell

The right hon. Lady has a firmer grip on anonymous briefings in the papers than on the details of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. She is more focused on petty political games in Westminster than on improving the lives of children and families up and down the country. The Bill will get qualified teachers in front of classrooms. It will teach a cutting-edge curriculum. It will drive down the costs of sending children to school. It will provide breakfast clubs for children who need them. It will stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks. It is a single most important piece of child protection legislation in a generation. The Conservatives voted against it. They can snipe from the sidelines; we will get on with delivering change.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner asked for a specific commitment or guarantee that headteachers would not have to make redundancies, but Catherine McKinnell did not provide this direct assurance. Instead, she focused on defending the bill and criticizing the opposition party.

How: Voting Against It, Petty Political Games

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