A primary school is seeking financial help worth more than a quarter of a million pounds as it fears its budget won’t cover its costs this year.

St Michael’s Easthampstead Church of England Primary School has told Bracknell Forest Council it could overspend its budget by up to £260,000 over three years.

Falling pupil numbers and changes among senior staff have contributed to financial pressures, council documents say.

As such, the school has asked permission from Bracknell Forest Council to run a “deficit budget” of £40,000 in the financial year running April 2023 – April 2024.

The school also expects to spend £90,000 extra in 2024-25 and £130,000 extra in 2025-26.

Council documents say St Michael’s has been recognised as 'a school needing support' due to 'a period of instability that began during the pandemic'.

The documents add: “During this period, the school has experienced significant changes to the Senior Leadership Team, including a period where an Executive Headteacher and acting Deputy Headteacher have been required to stabilise the school.

“At the same time, the school is transitioning from a reduction in Planned Admission Number from 35 to 30 which impacts on the level of funding received.

“To progress these dual challenges in a managed way, in the short term, a deficit budget will be required.”

READ MORE: Bracknell Forest Council faces £4 million budget overspend

If the council agrees, St Michael’s will be the fifth school in the borough currently allowed to spend more than its funding covers. The other four – also all primaries – are Ascot Heath, Cranbourne, The Pines and Winkfield St Mary’s.

Each school’s budget is based on government funding, the amount of which depends on how many pupils attend. But for some schools, increased costs and drops in pupil numbers mean they are struggling to make their budget last the year.

Schools in financial difficulty can apply to Bracknell Forest Council for an arrangement known as a “licensed deficit.” This is where the council allows the school to spend more than its funding in the short term, but with a plan to “repay” this by scaling back its spending in future years.

Council officers are recommending that members of the council’s School Forum approve this measure for St Michael’s at a meeting on Thursday, September 14. The agreement will also have to be approved by councillor Roy Bailey, who is in charge of children, young people and learning.

Meeting documents say the fact that only one school has made a new request for a licensed deficit this year is a “good achievement” given what it calls “the significant financial challenges that schools have faced in the recent past.”

A spokesperson for St Michael’s Easthampstead primary said: “The school is transitioning from a reduction in planned admission numbers from 35 to 30.  This results in a lower budget, and the need to transition from the staffing requirements of a school nearly 15 per cent smaller.

“Any transition takes time, but we expect to achieve an in-year balanced budget by the end of the 2025-26 financial year.  At this point, a repayment plan of the accumulated deficit will be considered.”