UK: Education spending 'falling fastest since 1950s'

Public spending on education in the UK is falling at the fastest rate since the 1950s, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The independent financial researchers say spending will fall by 13% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15, writes Sean Coughlan for the BBC.

In England, the deepest cuts are in school buildings, higher education, 16-to-19 provision and early years. A Department for Education spokesman said: "The government had to take tough decisions to reduce the deficit." He added: "But the schools' budget is actually increasing by £3.6 billion [US$5.7 billion] in cash over the next four years."

The IFS report says that after a decade of rapid growth in funding schools and universities, the UK is now facing the largest cut in education spending over any four-year period since at least the 1950s. "Having risen by historically large amounts during the 2000s, the UK's education budget is now set for a historically large fall over the next few years," says senior research economist Luke Sibieta.
Full report on the BBC site