Schools told to act amid £9m education blackhole
PA MediaSchools have been told they may be faced with tough decisions to balance their books amid a multi-million pound blackhole.
Westmorland and Furness Council's audit committee has been told nearly half of its 103 schools are sliding into the red, with a combined deficit of more than £9m.
The Liberal Democrat-led authority said schools may be forced to look at redundancies, staffing reviews and more mixed-age classes to address the shortfall.
The National Education Union's Cumbria representative, Andy Brewerton, said schools were "chronically under-funded" and he wanted education to be a priority for the government.
He said: "This year we've seen more restructures and redundancies that we've been doing through the union, we've seen more people lose their jobs, more mixed-age classes being suggested."
Nationally adjusting for inflation, government figures show funding is up by 8% since 2010, with an extra £2 billion due this year.
However, a joint campaign from education unions said three-quarters of schools had experienced real-term cuts because of school building maintenance and special educational needs, on top of rising staffing, food and energy costs.
"We need the money in school to be able to provide a world-class education system," Brewerton said.
Ageing population
Government funding is assigned to schools per pupil, but the Westmorland and Furness area is experiencing a fall in numbers due to its ageing population.
It means the expected 5,500 empty primary schools in the area will equate to about £33m lost from budgets, with a similar amount expected across secondary schools.
Westmorland and Furness Council is pressing schools with deficits to make savings as any debts from closing schools passes to them.
A spokesperson for the authority said it worked closely with schools to support them.
They said: "We have successfully worked with a number of our schools to navigate financial pressures whilst maintaining a clear focus on educational outcomes.
"We recognise and value the significant efforts our schools make to ensure financial sustainability, alongside their continued commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people."
