‘Significant number of Cambridgeshire schools in financial difficulties’
A “significant number” of schools in Cambridgeshire are in financial difficulties at the moment a Cambridgeshire County Council officer has said.
A schools forum meeting this week heard there is an increasing number of deficits being reported by both maintained schools and academies.
A school leader said some schools were facing having to make “unpalatable decisions”.
The county council officer said there were a few issues creating “challenges” for school budgets.
They said the amount of funding coming from the government for schools was not meeting the increases in costs actually being faced.
They added that increased numbers and complexity of children with high needs was also putting pressure on school finances.
The officer said they recognised funding high needs support was a factor that was ‘pushing some schools over the edge’ and into deficits.
The meeting heard that changes in the number of pupils across the county was also impacting the sustainability of schools.
The officer said: “We know we have got a significant number of schools in financial difficulties.
“At the moment 33/34 maintained schools are in deficit.
“Some schools have got very robust recovery plans and are continuing to deliver those, other schools, due to individual circumstances, there is not an obvious solution as it stands at current time on how to get out of a deficit position in the next couple years.”
They explained that the county council is working on improving the intervention process for schools facing a deficit.
They stressed that this was a “challenging situation” for all schools, including academies.
Mark Woods, Trustee and CEO at Meridian Trust, which is responsible for 31 academies including in Ely and Peterborough, said there is a “system wide problem”.
He said the budgets for the next year were looking “considerably worse” than this year.
He said schools in the area were likely going to be faced with “one of two things”, either a “completely unsustainable budget”, or “having to make cuts to schools”.
Mr Woods said: “I was very keen for us to have this item on the agenda today because I don’t think it is acceptable and I don’t think it is right that we shouldn’t be shouting out very loudly at this point.”
Jonathan Culpin, CEO Anglian Learning Multi-academy Trust, which is responsible for 18 academies including in the Cambridge area, said schools were facing having to make “unpalatable decisions”.
He also said MPs in the area needed to lobby for better school funding in Cambridgeshire.
He said: “MPs do actually need to hear just how desperate the situation is and lobby a lot harder in parliament for an adequate level of funding and appropriate funding for Cambridgeshire.”
