ABOUT half of senior leaders in secondary schools have been forced to cut teachers, teaching assistants and support staff this year, new research has revealed.

More secondary school leaders are making cuts to staff than last year due to a squeeze on finances, according to a poll by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) for the Sutton Trust.

The survey of 1,208 teachers and senior leaders in England also suggests that more leaders are reducing the subject choices they offer at GCSE and A-level compared to last year, due to funding pressures.

And nearly half of senior leaders in secondary schools are using pupil premium funding — money specifically allocated to support disadvantaged pupils — to fill gaps elsewhere in school budgets, making it the highest level recorded since polling began in 2017.

Of those, 66 per cent used the funding to cover staff salaries.

About 55 per cent of senior leaders in secondary schools have had to cut back on support staff, while about half said teaching staff and teaching assistants had been cut.

Other cuts include spending on trips and outings, sports and extracurricular activities.

The Sutton Trust is calling for a new national strategy to close the attainment gap, including restoring the pupil premium in real terms.

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said the findings were unsurprising, adding that 2025-26 sees overall per pupil funding drop to the lowest levels in England in real terms for at least 15 years.

He said: “The increase in the pupil premium rates for 2025-26 was below the increase in school costs and is insufficient to provide the services necessary to give these pupils the education they need.

“The government was elected on promises to improve schools and to increase the life chances of children brought up in poverty, holding down education funding runs counter to both goals.

“We need a radical change of direction with the June Spending Review to avoid grinding austerity over the rest of this parliament.”

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said: “No school leader wants to be in the position of losing teachers or support staff, but the financial situation facing schools and colleges has seldom been as grim as it is right now.”

He warned that things could worsen if the government goes ahead with a teacher pay award without additional funding for schools to cover the cost.