The meeting on 9 December considered a report on school funding, and was scheduled to review the minutes of two prior meetings of the committee.

The most significant item on the agenda for the meeting on 9 December was the following:

NAHT Cymru Report - Falling Short: The Deepening School Funding Crisis in Wales

The committee received a report on the Falling Short: The Deepening School Funding Crisis in Wales report that had been published by NAHT Cymru, the Welsh branch of the National Association of Head Teachers.

The report, which was included in the meeting pack as Appendix 1, described the harrowing funding crisis facing schools in Wales.

The report described a survey of headteachers that had found that:

75% of respondents are either reporting a deficit this year (29%) or a balanced budget which has only been made possible because they have carried a surplus and/or made significant budget cuts

The report went on to say that the situation was likely to deteriorate, saying that:

more than half (53%) of school leaders are predicting a deficit this academic year (2024/25)

The report attributed the situation to a number of factors, but principally to the following:

Additional Learning Needs (ALN) funding has caused huge financial pressure on most schools (88%) alongside general inflationary costs and increased salary costs (55% and 54% respectively)

The report concluded by calling for greater collaboration between schools and local authorities to argue the case effectively for proper and full funding of education services .

The report pack also included the following:

Minutes of previous meetings

The meeting was also scheduled to review the minutes of its previous meetings, on 24 September 2024 and 28 October 2024.