Two Cumbrian schools face financial challenges with council oversight
Historic deficits reported but no impact on pupil learning
Two Cumbrian secondary schools have been revealed to be suffering financial difficulty, according to the council.
Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS) and The Lakes School at Troutbeck Bridge near Windermere have both been issued ‘financial notes of concern’ by the council.
The information was published in a report on deficits and balances at schools across Westmorland and Furness Council’s area, which was prepared for the audit committee on Friday, June 12.
The report reads that the two schools have been invited to an ‘escalated meeting’ with the option of the council serving ‘financial warning notices’ on them.
The council said the financial issues the schools are facing are ‘historic deficits’ and that there is ‘no impact’ on pupils’ learning.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: “Oversight of school finances is a statutory duty, and we work closely to support schools to address any specific challenges that arise.
“The schools remain fully operational and are working closely with the council to address a historic deficit.
“There is no impact on the day-to-day learning experience of pupils. Westmorland and Furness continues to work closely with all our schools on financial sustainability.”
Elsewhere in the report the author said two maintained schools with ‘exceptionally high deficits have had these for a number of years’.
“One of these schools has a small sixth form and challenges with their building, the other has an exceptionally large sixth form but again challenges with their building,” it said.
Neither of those schools were named in the public report.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council whether the two schools in question were The Lakes and UVHS, which both have sixth forms, but that question was not addressed.
The report also reads that school balances overall are in deficit across Westmorland and Furness.
The council said there is an overall deficit of £9.16m, with only five local authorities in the country having overall deficits on their school balances.
The report author added that deficits ‘must be recovered within three years’.