The Scottish government is being urged to address funding pressures in education that are “leaving schools struggling to make ends meet”, as “shocking” figures show almost one in 10 schools ran a deficit in 2021-22.
Data obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed 238 schools reported deficits for 2021-22, with the total overspend amounting to £5,674,742.
Scottish government statistics for 2022 showed a total of 2,461 schools in Scotland: 1,994 primaries, 358 secondaries and 109 special schools - meaning almost one in 10 spent more than they were allocated.
Aberdeenshire reported 60 schools in deficit, the largest total of any local authority in the country, with this amounting to more than £2,228,000.
Neighbouring Aberdeen City had 21 schools in deficit, with this totalling more than £420,000, details released under freedom of information laws revealed, while in Dumfries and Galloway, 22 schools ran up a combined deficit of more than £633,000.
Edinburgh City Council had just seven schools in deficit but this amounted to £438,000.
And in the Scottish Borders council area, 22 schools produced a deficit of more than £558,000 between them.
Last week the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association held its annual congress in Crieff. In her address, SSTA president and secondary teacher Catherine Nicol said that teachers were providing “pencils, rubbers, glue, paper and other scholastic essentials” and that schools did not have “enough [money] for jotters, never mind chemicals or the equipment necessary to deliver rich experiences and joyful lessons”.
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie said ministers needed to ensure that schools have the resources to “flourish”.
He said: “It is shocking to see hundreds of schools across the country reporting budget deficits.
“We know parents are being asked to contribute to school funds out of their own pockets, that schools are considering closing early and that subjects are being dropped from the curriculum.
“The prolonged and bitter teacher pay dispute has caused unquantifiable harm to the relationship between the teaching profession and an SNP government that told them they were paid more than enough.
“Now that a deal has finally been struck, ministers need to make sure that schools, teachers and pupils have the resources they need to flourish.”
However, Mr Rennie added: “The omens are not good. Local authorities are being threatened with financial punishments if they don’t keep up SNP teacher number promises but little extra money is being provided to make those promises a reality.
“The government must urgently address these funding pressures that are impacting on children’s education and leaving schools struggling to make ends meet.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “The delivery of education is the responsibility of local authorities, which manage their own budgets.
“Local authorities allocate the total financial resources available to them, including setting school budgets, on the basis of local needs and priorities, after fulfilling their statutory obligations, and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.
“The Scottish government has increased the resources available to local government in 2023-24 by more than £793 million, a real-terms increase of £376 million or 3 per cent, compared to the 2022-23 budget figures.”
