PUPILS will bear the brunt of the impact of rising energy costs on schools, fears an education boss whose bills have nearly tripled.
Joseph Figg is the chief executive officer of the Eveleigh LINK Academy Trust, which runs Tiptree Heath Primary School, in Maldon Road.
According to Mr Figg, the trust is now having to fork-out close to £300,000 in gas and electricity bills, compared to the £115,000 they paid for the last academic year.
The cost of energy has soared due to wholesale gas prices increasing and many homeowners and businesses now worry they will not be able to pay their way.
“This is a national issue and impacting the overwhelming majority of schools, not just the schools that operate within the Eveleigh LINK Academy Trust,” said Mr Figg.
“Parents and readers must be informed the money to pay for the unfunded pay rises and fuel bills has to come from somewhere.
“Unfortunately, this is from children and the services they receive - we are now at crisis point and pupils will go without key resources and support staff as a result.
“The solution is more funding and more support for schools, and other public sector services is required to cope with the soaring energy prices.”
In addition to promising some support for households, the Government has also unveiled a six-month compensation scheme for suffering schools.
According to Downing Street ministers, their plan to reduce rates will result in a saving of £4,000 for a typical school paying £10,000 on a monthly basis for energy.
They will achieve this by capping the cost of each megawatt hour at £211 for electricity and £75 for gas, as opposed to wholesale prices of £600 and £180.
But Mr Figg believes the financial assistance is not enough to fully stifle the extent to which the apocalyptic outgoings will hinder the development of students.
“This, along with the unfunded teacher and support staff pay rises, has meant an increase of close to 450,000 in two years,” he said.
“As a result, we are not employing new staff, but redeploying school staff across the academy trust - this has implications for the vital services we provide for our children.
“We have withdrawn services and have cut back on resources and equipment. These cuts have had to be made to fund the unfunded pay rises and increased fuel bills.”
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