Commenting on the Sutton Trust’s latest polling of teachers on school funding, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said:

“These figures provide further evidence of the deepening crisis this government has created in our schools.

“That so many schools are being forced to cut numbers of teachers, teaching assistants and other essential staff is a mark of shame for this government and its hollow pledges to care about the standard of education in this country and the futures of its young people.

“Schools are already cutting back on extra-curricular activities, school trips and cultural and social activities. In many cases IT facilities are being cut and school buildings are crumbling.

“Children and young people from less affluent backgrounds especially are missing out on access to a broad and balanced education which is increasingly dependent on parents’ ability to pay.

“Pupils are being failed by this government. Ministers have refused to invest what it takes to provide a world-class education.

“Children and young people need a new government that will deliver the lasting solutions to fix our broken schools.”