27 October 2006
MPs have attacked the Department for Education and Skills for failing to provide clear and comprehensive information on spending.
The Commons' education and skills select committee this week criticised constant alterations to the presentation of the department's annual report, which they said made it 'virtually impossible to follow the thread of policy and funding'.
Comparing reports produced between 2003 and 2005, the committee noted changes to chapter headings, layout and contents, with items coming and going as initiatives waxed and waned.
Committee chair Barry Sheerman acknowledged that spending on education had increased significantly over recent years, but said greater clarity was vital. 'If the public are to have confidence that their money is being well spent, the department's annual report must become transparent and consistent in its approach to education expenditure,' he said.
'Schools must be freed of the complexity and opacity of the funding system, so that head teachers, governors and parents alike understand how funding decisions have been made.'
Elsewhere, the October 26 report cast doubt on the department's efficiency programme, questioning whether it would achieve the £4.3bn in savings demanded by the Gershon review.
Although the DfES expects to make no cash savings, officials told the committee they expected 75% of non-cashable gains to be 'recyclable', for example making more effective use of teachers' time.
'We welcomed these recyclable gains, but we do have doubts about whether quantifying them in cash terms is in any way helpful,' the report states.
It was, the MPs said, a moot point whether using teaching assistants to give teachers' time for preparation or teaching could be costed.
There was also concern over Chancellor Gordon Brown's declaration that he would bring average, annual per-pupil investment up to levels enjoyed in the private sector. The MPs said this was clearly an aspiration rather than firm policy.
'Without a timescale to achieve the target or any commitment to increase expenditure, it is hard to be certain when the target would be met,' they said.
A DfES spokeswoman said: 'Investment in education is a key priority for the government. By 2008, spending per pupil will have more than doubled from £2,650 to £5,750.'
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