The Guardian view on schools and austerity: more than just a funding crisis | Editorial

Underpaid teachers are on the frontline as the impact of cuts to other services is felt in the classroom

When the Conservatives first took Britain down the path of budget austerity in 2010, schools were meant to be protected. George Osborne, chancellor at the time, was confident in the public's readiness to tolerate most cuts, but even he realised that taking money away from education was toxic.

As with similar promises on NHS spending, the "ring-fence" around the schools budget turns out to be woefully inadequate. Research published on Friday by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), an independent thinktank, finds that a quarter of English secondary schools are running a deficit. No one with knowledge of the education sector imagines those budget overruns describe managerial largesse. The problem is not enough incoming cash to cover the cost of running a school.

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