94 out of 105 (90%) of maintained schools in the East Riding are forecasting an in-year deficit for the 2024-25 school year.
This includes 30 schools without enough surplus reserves to cover their projected overspends.
The council says the concerning financial landscape is being driven primarily by a surge in high needs pupils, coupled with inadequate funding from the Department for Education (DfE) to meet these needs.
The report highlights that while the DfE allocates funding to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to cover high needs students, a substantial gap exists between the allocated resources and the actual funds required by the East Riding Council to meet their legal obligations to these students. This shortfall is a major contributor to the projected £18 million overspend in the 2024-25 school year.
The report states that the overspend is primarily attributed to the increasing number of students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which require more specialized and costly educational provision.
The financial strain on schools is further compounded by a projected overall overspend of £4.7 million across individual school budgets for 2024-25. While 64 schools are projected to have a cumulative surplus due to funds carried forward from the previous year, the report emphasizes that 30 schools will be running a cumulative deficit.
To mitigate the financial difficulties faced by schools, the council is engaging in direct discussions with school leadership, particularly those facing cumulative deficits, to explore strategies for reducing expenditures.
Additionally, East Riding Council is working with the DfE through the 'Delivering Better Value' programme and has successfully secured £1 million in grant funding for 2024-25.
This funding will be used to support projects designed to control the growth of the deficit, although the extent to which these projects can alleviate the financial strain is yet to be determined.
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