The three pie charts illustrate how a UK school allocated its budget across five categories in 1981, 1991, and 2001.
Overall, teachers’ salaries consistently represented the largest proportion of spending throughout the period, while insurance remained the smallest yet showed steady growth.
In 1981, teachers’ pay accounted for 40% of the total budget, followed by other workers’ salaries at 28%. Resources and furniture each comprised 15%, with insurance at just 2%.
By 1991, the share devoted to teachers’ salaries had risen sharply to 50%, whereas other workers’ wages fell to 22%. Furniture spending dropped dramatically to 5%, while resources grew modestly to 20%.
The 2001 figures reveal a partial reversal. Teachers’ pay declined slightly to 45%, and other workers’ salaries continued to shrink to 15%. Notably, furniture and equipment surged to 23%, becoming the second-largest category. Meanwhile, resources fell to 9% and insurance quadrupled over the entire period to reach 8%.