English state schools plunged into a financial deficit last year, new figures have shown, with teachers’ leaders warning of a “bleak” future.
Financial data obtained by PoliticsHome under the Freedom of Information Act, covering 8,539 non-academy state schools in 93 local authorities, shows the schools made an average in-year surplus of £13,963 each on their day-to-day revenue spending in 2021/22.
But this plummeted to an average deficit of £10,561 each in 2022/23, as rising inflation and growing numbers of children with complex special needs combined with sustained underfunding by Government to squeeze schools’ finances.
Taking all 8,500 schools together, the sector went from a total £119 million in-year surplus in 2021/22 to a £90 million in-year deficit in 2022/23.
