Schools must cut back on heating, cleaning and equipment bills in order to save the Government £750 million, Ed Balls said yesterday.
The Schools Secretary wants heads to make the savings by installing “smart” meters that save energy and making more astute purchasing decisions on technology and textbooks. Mr Balls urged schools to make the economies over the next three years to save the taxpayer three-quarters of a billion pounds.
But teachers’ leaders criticised the demands, saying that the amount has been exaggerated. They also questioned whether frontline services would be affected.
Schools will also be given free financial management advice and training in staff recruitment in order to shave thousands off their budgets. Earlier this year the National Audit Office said schools were sitting on £2.4 billion of rebuilding money. Its report blamed the Schools Department for being too optimistic about the progress of work.
The Schools Secretary has already set out his intention to make £2 billion in cuts to the schools budget — 5 per cent of the total — after 2011. He says schools should federate in order to make use of economies of scale by bulk buying.
Mr Balls challenged schools to have an “honest” debate about making the best use of resources amid pressures on the public purse. He also set out key areas for more effective investment alongside discussions and advice for schools to get the best value for money out of their budgets.
John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was far from clear that more efficient purchasing would save enough to protect schools and other services from possible spending cuts in the future. It comes as Mr Balls confirms high-tech “smart” electricity meters are to be installed in up to 12,000 schools from January.
The Government believes that meters and other changes in using electricity could result in primary schools saving up to £700 a year and secondary schools more than £3,000 a year on fuel bills alone.
The £12 million scheme will be part of a campaign launched early next year to reduce demand for energy and change teachers and pupils’ behaviour using electricity in every school in England.
According to Mr Balls, the campaign will help reach a long-term ambition for all new school buildings to produce no carbon emissions from their day-to-day use.
The meters give “real-time” digital read outs on how much electricity a building is using second-by-second. It will mean that heads, teachers and support staff can see the immediate impact of high