What 130 education leaders said were the sector’s biggest problems

There’s no question: 2025 looks difficult for the education sector.

But what specific challenges do schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) need to be ready for?

To find out, we launched the IRIS Education Leaders’ Survey. It gathered insights from 130 senior leaders in state schools and trusts across England.

Here are just a few of the report’s findings.

Budget constraints are at the heart of your issues

The survey revealed that more than four-fifths of education leaders identified budget constraints as a core challenge in 2024. Rising costs for energy, supplies, and overheads are significant factors contributing to this issue. Despite an 11% real-terms increase in funding per pupil between 2019-20 and 2024-25, as well as an additional £2.3 billion for 2025-26, balancing budgets remains the biggest concern for school and trust leaders.

The struggle to deliver SEND provision continues

Concerns about supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) were raised repeatedly in leaders’ responses to our survey.

It’s clear that the rising number of students with SEND is straining resources, leading to budget deficits and increased workloads for staff. As of January 2024, there were 575,963 active Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), an 11% increase from the previous year.

This, coupled with long processing times for EHCPs, delays students from getting the support they need.

Meanwhile, funding for SEND provision is under significant pressure, with the Department for Education estimating a cumulative deficit of £4.6 billion in the Dedicated Schools Grant by the end of 2025-26.

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Staff recruitment is still a problem

Staff recruitment posed the third biggest challenge for education leaders in our survey.

A lack of suitably qualified candidates, particularly for subject-specific teachers and specialist roles, has exacerbated recruitment difficulties. Teacher vacancies increased by 20% from 2,300 in November 2022 to 2,800 in November 2023. Furthermore, teacher training course recruitment for secondary schools has reached a critical juncture, with only 50% of targets met in 2023/24. This has led to schools deploying non-specialists, further stressing the system.

Dropping pupil numbers are having an impact

Falling pupil numbers are impacting the financial stability of primary schools, with 70% of school leaders reporting a negative effect. The fixed costs associated with running a school remain constant, but the reduction in funding from fewer pupils significantly impacts net income. With primary school rolls predicted to fall further and secondary numbers expected to decrease from 2025 onwards, these pressures will likely continue to escalate.

Local authority support is dropping

Roughly half of school and trust leaders reported a decrease in local authority support over the last three years, leading to increased operational burdens and costs. Many schools have had to outsource services to private providers.

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Tech is a viable solution

Despite tight budget constraints, many school and trust leaders are planning to invest in new technology over the next three years, particularly for SEND management and staff development. Technology can play a crucial role in assessing, providing support strategies, monitoring, and tracking students with SEND, as well as assembling evidence to speed up EHCP applications.

Trusts aim to keep on growing

Despite financial challenges, more than 75% of MATs expect to grow over the next three years, primarily through acquiring new schools. Trust leaders remain relatively optimistic about expansion, although the lack of government funding and financial pressures may stifle actual growth in the sector.

Leaders share similar priorities

The top three priorities for school and trust leaders in 2025 and beyond are SEND provision and support, financial stability and budget management, and improving student outcomes and attainment. These priorities made it clear that all education leaders are striving to provide the best possible education for their students while managing the complex realities of funding, staffing, and evolving educational needs.

Get all the information you need on 2025’s biggest challenges

The above is just a short summary of the data from our IRIS Education Leaders’ Survey.

In the full report, you will find detailed insights, taking you on a much deeper dive into the facts, figures and commentary from the sector.

Click here to download the IRIS Education Leaders’ Survey.