The schools minister Nick Gibb has said he is “comfortable” with the way schools are dealing with rising cost pressures. It comes despite headteachers recently revealing how they are having to cut back on textbooks, cleaning and maintenance to balance the books, on top of making teaching and support staff redundant. The Institute for Fiscal Studies predicts schools face an average real terms budget cut of 8 per cent by 2020, and Gibb admitted this was a “challenge” for leaders. However, when asked by Labour MP Cat McKinnell at an education select committee today if he was “comfortable” with the way cost pressures were being handled by schools, Gibb said he was. “It has been a challenge and we are providing advice and support to schools about how to manage a budget in the most efficient way.” Support available to schools will soon include access to a ‘national buying scheme’ for non-staff costs such as ICT infrastructure, but heads claim they are already using such measures. Rising pension and national insurance costs, coupled with new pressures such as the apprenticeship levy and hiring targets, mean schools are losing money despite a pledge by the government to protect core schools funding in this…http://schoolsweek.co.uk/nick-gibb-comfortable-with-schools-approach-to-cost-cutting/