The number of schools reporting a revenue deficit in Cambridgeshire has “significantly increased” over the last two years.

Schools receive funding through the dedicated schools grant provided by central government, but Cambridgeshire County Council said for some the funding was not increasing in line with costs.

A report published by the county council said 31 maintained schools had a revenue deficit in 2023/24, compared to 14 in the previous year.

The papers also revealed that so far this year 35 maintained schools have submitted deficit budgets to the authority.

The information published by the county council does not include schools that have converted to academies, which do not report to the authority.

Of the 31 schools reporting a deficit last year, three were nurseries, 27 were primary schools and one was a special educational needs school.

Six of the schools reported a revenue deficit of over £100,000.

The county council said the reasons for the deficits varied, but that there were “similar recurring themes”.

The authority highlighted five main issues it said schools were facing, which are:

  • Falling rolls between October 2022 and October 2023
  • The operation of unsustainable staffing structures compared to overall pupil numbers
  • An increase in staffing costs, which are not covered by funding uplifts
  • The requirement to operate ‘additional’ classes due to infant class size legislation
  • Increasing cost pressures relating to special educational needs and disabilities

The county council said schools that need to apply for a deficit licence will need to also put together a multi-year recovery plan, setting out what actions it will take to repay the accumulated deficit.