Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of schools which are in financial deficit.

In July 2017 the Department announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015. This means funding per pupil for schools and high needs will be maintained in real terms for the next two years.

The Department trusts schools to manage their own budgets and only a small percentage are operating with a cumulative deficit, with far more schools having a surplus. The latest published figures for England’s schools showed 2,819 academy trusts and 14,498 local authority maintained schools reporting a cumulative surplus, with a total of more than £4 billion, against 165 academy trusts and 1,461 local authority maintained schools with a cumulative deficit, with a total deficit figure of less than £300 million.

The Department continues to provide support to schools to help them use their resources in the most efficient way, so they can deliver the best value for the taxpayer.