SCHOOLS in the district are having to offer a more limited education experience to their pupils to avoid falling into the red.

Several headteachers told the Bradford Schools Forum that support staff and IT facilities were just some of the things schools have had to cut to avoid overspending their budgets.

And they say that unless funding is increased by the Government, many schools in Bradford district will struggle with their budgets in the coming years.

The forum, comprising school leaders, discussed school balances at a meeting in City Hall. Members have been calling for greater funding for schools for several years, saying the money they get from Government is failing to match rising costs.

Schools finance officer Andrew Redding presented the seemingly positive news that most council-run schools in the district ended the 2018/19 financial year with spare money in their budgets, with only five schools having overspent and some schools actually having increased their balances compared to the previous year.

But he warned that in the next two years many schools would likely fall into the red unless the Government increased its funding.

He said: “This has happened because the majority of schools have taken effective action to balance their budgets so far. But when we look at school spending forecasts to 2021, things look pretty horrible.

"Schools are telling us they will face significant financial difficulties in two or three years’ time. If nothing changes with the school funding system, then school deficits will rise.”

School bosses pointed out that the balanced budgets had only happened because of huge cuts to staff and facilities.

Gill Holland, chief executive officer of the Bronte Academy Trust, said: “We have saved money but it has been at a cost. We don’t have the ICT infrastructure we’d like, we haven’t been replacing some staff when they leave. The fact that this will impact on students is inevitable really.”