Axing of the £600m Education Services Grant puts key services at risk, councils warn

The government is planning to allocate £50 million to councils in England from September 2017 for school improvement work.

However, at the same the £600 million ESG is being axed because more schools are converting to academy status and leaving local authority control.

The ESG is spent on things like speech, physiotherapy and occupational therapies, tackling truancy, carrying out Disclosure and Barring Service checks, safeguarding, managing asbestos risk in buildings, ensuring adequate water supplies, mental health support, fire safety and escape routes, air quality, maintenance of school buildings and playing fields, and general health and safety requirements.

New rules are also being introduced from September 2017 that will force councils to seek the permission of schools to provide these traditional ESG services.