A dozen Bolton schools were in financial deficit in the last academic year, new figures show.

This comes as the number of schools losing money across England soared last year.

Department for Education figures show 12 of the 85 local authority-maintained schools to provide financial information in Bolton were in a financial deficit in 2022-23 – up from four the year before.

A school is in a financial deficit when it spends more than it earned when factoring in the previous year's balance.

The same schools may not have submitted sufficient information each year.

Robert Poole, Assistant District Secretary at Bolton National Education Union, said: “I am deeply concerned about the increasing number of schools facing financial hardship in Bolton.

“As outlined in our School Cuts website, underfunding of education has been a longstanding issue, and these deficit figures unfortunately highlight the impact it has on schools' ability to provide quality education for all students.

“Schools rely on government funding to cover essential costs like staffing, resources, and facilities.

“Insufficient funding can force schools to make difficult choices that impact their ability to deliver a well-rounded education.

“Added to this is the failure of the government to adequately address rising costs.

“Schools face increasing costs across various areas, such as energy bills and maintenance.

“These rising costs, coupled with stagnant or declining funding, can create significant financial strain.

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“Many schools in Bolton serve communities facing economic hardship and social disadvantage.

“These schools often require additional resources to address the specific needs of their students, further exacerbating financial challenges.

“Again, the government is failing to provide additional support to help these most vulnerable communities.

“The NEU urges the government to take immediate action to address the underfunding of education.”

Nationally, there was a significant rise in the number of schools running a negative budget.

Some 13.1 per cent of local authority-run schools in England had a deficit in 2022-23 – an almost 50 per cent rise on the year before.

Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College leaders said many schools must operate in-year deficits while identifying longer term savings because of stalling investment in education.

She said: “While schools endeavour to do this without detriment to pupils, this inevitably impacts on provision, such as pastoral support, curriculum options and routine building maintenance.

"Despite the Prime Minister’s promise that his main funding priority in every spending review will be education, schools and colleges received barely a mention in the autumn statement.

"This must be rectified in the spring budget to turn rhetoric into reality."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union the National Association of Head Teachers, said schools slipping into a deficit "will have cut everything they possibly can first" to maintain a positive budget.

He said: "The number of schools being forced into deficit shows that government funding of education is nowhere near where it should be for the level of demand that actually exists."

Financial difficulties were especially problematic for nurseries, with almost a third in a deficit across England in 2022-23.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "School funding is rising to more than £59.6 billion next year – the highest ever level in real terms per pupil.

"While the vast majority of schools are operating with a surplus, we are providing up to £40 million in 2023-24 to support schools which find themselves in financial difficulties."

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