A New Year should be the chance of a fresh start, re-energised for the challenges of the next 12 months.

That should be especially true for school leaders, whose role spearheading the education of the children in their care ought to be a rewarding labour of love.

But unfortunately, many school leaders across Wales are returning to the same old headaches of making stretched budgets add up, and impossible decisions between cutting staff and provisions.

In November NAHT Cymru revealed that just £39m of the £329m consequential funding that comes to Wales as a result of education spending in England is going to fund core school budgets.

That is despite the Welsh Local Government Association, which represents the 22 local authorities, reporting a £137m shortfall in school budgets for 26/27.

A Welsh Government deal with Plaid Cymru saw some additional money allocated to local authorities to the tune of £120m, but the schools’ shortfall, coupled with a £200m social care deficit, means that councils are facing huge financial challenges. How much of that money will actually go to schools?

NAHT Cymru’s #FairFundingNow campaign has seen hundreds of letters sent to Senedd members of all parties, calling for them to lobby the government to put more money into classrooms.

When questioned publicly, education cabinet secretary Lynne Neagle told the Senedd she believes more money should go to schools.

Then it was the turn of the First Minister Eluned Morgan to face scrutiny over the education budget.

Members of her own party and others questioned her relentlessly on the consequential funding and she continued to say that spending per person on education in Wales is 7% higher than spending per person in England.

That is a figure from HM Treasury and due to the way schools are funded via local authorities. It has no correlation to how much money ends up at the coalface.

Education apparently didn’t come up as part of the First Minister’s listening exercise as much as she would have thought? I’m sure a lot of things didn’t. 

I’m convinced if I was to ask people on the street what issues matter to them, a whole host of things wouldn’t appear – like policing, defence, economic stability, international relations.  That doesn’t mean that these issues are not important.

You cannot build a list of priorities for government around what can be achieved in a two-year term of office – the time between the First Minister taking office and the May Senedd elections.

Education is not a quick win, it’s an ongoing investment. It’s the key to unlocking safer communities, economic prosperity, improved health outcomes, and great civic engagement to name just a few.

Her comments on devolution, the fact that consequential money is not simply passported are valid. School leaders understand how devolution works.

But they question: can the same be said for the budget decision-makers when in comes to understanding school funding?

Schools are not asking for additional money for some added extras. This money is to deliver on the government’s education agenda – raising standards in numeracy and literacy; improving attendance and behaviour; continuing to roll out education reforms; and, crucially, support for vulnerable pupils with additional learning needs.

NAHT Cymru continues to urge the government to rethink the education budget to ensure schools are able to give children and young people the very best education they all truly deserve.

Our message to the Welsh Government is this. Leave local government to deal with matters squarely in its remit, from filling potholes to collecting rubbish.

If ministers want to leave a real legacy, the forthcoming Budget Is their last chance to truly put pupils first and show real ambition by investing properly in their education.

This article was published in the Western Mail on 8 January 2026.