Responding to the Budget deal agreed for 2026/27 between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, Laura Doel, national secretary at NAHT Cymru - which has been running a #FairFundingNow campaign to highlight the severe budget pressures facing Welsh schools - said:

“This deal appears to be a huge let down for school leaders, teachers, pupils and families when it comes to children’s education.

“At a time when the Welsh Local Government Association has reported a predicted deficit of £137m for school budgets alone, it is clear that £113m extra for all council services will simply leave schools shortchanged yet again.

“Schools will be left to fight for scraps which won’t be enough to ward off further impossible choices between cuts to staffing and resources. To do that while still protecting learning is nigh on impossible and children deserve better.

“To rub salt in the wounds, we know that £329m was allocated to Wales by the UK government in so-called education consequentials - but only £39m was allocated in core funding for schools in the original Budget proposals.

“We have yet to see the specifics of this deal, but on the face of it there can be no let-up in our fight for fair funding for schools because this agreement seems to fall far short of securing that.

“We urge Labour and Plaid Cymru to make clear their intentions for education and rethink any deal that does not address the funding crisis.  There is a serious risk that failure to act will do enormous harm to schools and children’s education.”