Cumbria's schools could face drastic cuts to plug £8m overspend

Council chiefs want to claw back the sum, leading to a three per cent cut across schools, because of a forecasted overspend in "high needs" funding.

The cuts are one of a series of proposals being looked at to address the rising costs of helping Cumbrian children with special needs.

The move has sparked claims from one union leader that the authority is passing the problem on to schools and governors and the proposal, if agreed, does not give schools sufficient time for voluntary or compulsory redundancy periods.

The proposed clawback has also been described as “no more than a small sticking plaster over a gaping wound” because it fails to address the cause of the problem.

Figures seen by the News & Star show that Trinity School in Carlisle and Ullswater Community College in Penrith - two of the biggest secondary schools in Cumbria - would see some of the largest losses if the proposals went ahead - £190,887 and £177,633 respectively.

It is a similar picture among primary schools - with the largest primary schools set to lose in the region of £45,000 in 2017-18.

The Cumbria Primary Headteachers Association (PHA) is urging its 200-plus members to consult governing bodies and send representations to the county’s schools forum before the consultation closes at the end of the month.

The forum is a panel of education figures who advise the county council about school finance issues.

PHA chairman Shaun Monaghan, head of Jericho Primary School in Whitehaven, explained that schools have already fixed their budgets for the next three years.

Many that carefully balanced their books could now be facing debt while others with deficit recovery plans may see their financial woes deepen, he warned.

Mr Monaghan said: “As schools we’re asked to set a budget for three years and that is what we’ve done.

"If schools fall into deficit then they have to pay that back - we’re not allowed to be in deficit.

“Then to be told in the second year of that cycle that they’re taking away another three per cent, it can only mean reductions in staff or facilities for children.”

Mr Monaghan’s school, under the plan, could stand to lose £41,774.

A teacher earns between £22,467 and £33,160.

There are no national pay scales for teaching assistants but wages usually start at around £13,000 a year.

Leading PHA members are due to meet today to discuss the group’s formal consultation response.

The Cumbria Association of Secondary Headteachers is also understood to be considering its reply.

Mr Monaghan said: “There are schools which are on the breadline and, with a real life three per cent cut, it is going to be governing bodies that will have to make some tough decisions.

“This will affect everywhere from the smallest hamlet to the biggest schools in places like Carlisle - it is every school and academy.”

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union has written to members of the schools forum - a letter seen by The Cumberland News.

Cumbria branch secretary Graham Frost, headteacher at Robert Ferguson School in Denton Holme, Carlisle, wrote on behalf of members with “deep concern”.

Graham Frost He added: “I also write with urgency due to the ridiculously short consultation period requiring schools to respond within less than a month of the announcement at the start of the academic year.”

He added that schools have already had to soak up rising operating costs in recent years while funding has remained static.

It has left many “operating at minimum staffing level”.

“If further staffing cuts were precipitated by the proposed funding clawback, this would present challenges to schools and academies to the extent that service provision would be severely compromised,” he said.

Mr Frost also said that the council was not acting on the “same principles” when it expects schools to plan a balanced budget but fails to do the same.

“It is important to stress the grave implications of these proposals which are likely to cause widespread disruption to the education of all children in Cumbria, and not only those attracting high needs funding,” Mr Frost concludes.

Headteachers of 12 schools which form the Rural South Carlisle Schools cluster have signed a joint letter to raise their concerns.

Clem Coady, headteacher of Stoneraise School at Durdar, near Carlisle, is among them.

He said: “Stoneraise is part of a very effective cluster of 12 schools with an average reduction in budgets of £15,000 per school per year.

"This is a significant amount of reduction in funding.

“Large schools will lose a greater amount of money, some up to and over £100,000.

"However, as the funding loss will be an equal percentage of each budget it will be equally hard for all schools regardless of the amount.

“I know many head teachers are currently and many others will be looking at a reduction of frontline services to cope with this additional financial pressure.

"Many of the suggestions in the proposals are simply not workable or practical.”

He added: “Many head teacher colleagues feel there are so many unanswered questions and this proposal is being rushed through without due consideration to the long-term impact of any proposed changes.”

Margaret Taylor, head of High Hesket School, is a National Leader of Education.

She said: “If this plan is agreed, schools will all lose a considerable amount of funding which will, without doubt, lead to staffing cuts which will harm all children including those who are most vulnerable.

“We all hope that a sensible solution which will not impact on outcomes for our children can be found.”

Schools funding from central government is given to local councils in the form of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

It has three components - early years block funding for pre-school provision, schools block which is passed directly to schools, and a high needs block.

The high needs block funds a range of support such as special schools, pupil referral units and residential school places outside of the county for Cumbrian children whose needs can not be catered for locally.

Pressure on high needs funding has increased.

Changes to legislation have extended the age range of young people eligible for support from three to 19-year-olds to 0 to 25-year-olds.

More children are also being put forward for Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) assessments, which is one of the factors piling on the pressure.

The schools forum is looking to reallocate funds from the schools and early year blocks of the main grant to help meet those pressures.

It is also looking to increase the number of “alternative provision” places across Cumbria in a bid to reduce the reliance of using schools outside of the county to care for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

A county council spokesman said: “A wide range of proposals are currently with the schools forum for consideration and further proposals are being developed in response to feedback received to date.

“These will also be subject to consultation before the schools forum makes a recommendation to the council’s cabinet on what they consider to be the best way forward.

“No decisions have been made yet and all options remain on the table.”

The spokesman added: “We are working closely with schools on this issue to find a way forward.

"We have to recognise that pressure on the budget reflects an 80 per cent rise in the number of requests from schools for assessments of children leading to an EHCP over the past two years.

"These requests are based on the needs that children have and we have a duty to meet them.

"Inevitably this large increase has an impact.”