Dozens of Buckinghamshire schools have been told they need to spend more of their money – because they have “excessive” amounts of cash piling up.

A total of 36 maintained schools – out of a total of 155 in the county – that have been ordered by Buckinghamshire Council to come up with a plan of how they will be spending the excess cash.

Schools with surpluses over 15 per cent of all income is the measure that the council uses.

Speaking at the council’s schools forum meeting on June 28, Jonathan Carter, schools accountant, said the 36 schools have all been written to.

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He said: “We specifically write out to those schools to require plans, much like we do with deficit schools, to ask for detailed plans of how they intend to effectively cover that position to reduce that excessive surplus over a period of time - so we can then monitor that situation and make sure that is happening.

“That is definitely something we are looking to do as a team generally this year, is to pay much more attention around the surpluses. They are increasing year on year.

“Obviously last year we had the impacts of Covid and in some cases the ability to spend some of those grants wasn’t always there, so we did kind of expect… not quite the position we are in this year, but there we are.

“We have contacted all the schools that are on that list and got a general overview on what they intend to spend that money on to reduce their surplus.”

The 36 schools that have been told to spend more money are:

  • Little Missenden CE School – Little Missenden
  • Heritage House School – Chesham
  • Marsworth CE Infant School – Marsworth, Tring
  • Bierton CE Combined School – Bierton
  • Whaddon CE School – Whaddon
  • Dagnall School – Dagnall, Berkhamsted
  • Swanbourne CE School – Swanbourne, Milton Keynes
  • Bucks Primary PRU – Aylesbury
  • Mursley CE School – Mursley, Milton Keynes
  • Cheddington Combined School – Cheddington
  • Tywford CE School – Twyford, Buckingham
  • Westfield School – Bourne End
  • St George’s CE Infant School – Amersham
  • St Michael’s Catholic School – High Wycombe
  • Wendover CE Junior School – Wendover
  • Iver Heath Junior School – Iver Heath
  • St Mary’s Farnham Royal CE Primary School – Farnham Royal
  • Foxes Piece School – Marlow
  • Thornborough Infant School – Thornborough, Buckingham
  • Drayton Parslow Village School – Drayton Parslow
  • Iver Village Junior School – Iver
  • Elangeni School – Amersham
  • Oak Green School – Aylesbury
  • Little Marlow CE School – Little Marlow
  • Chalfont St Peter Infant School – Chalfont St Peter
  • Holmer Green Junior School – Holmer Green
  • Stokenchurch Junior School – Stokenchurch
  • Henry Allen Nursery School – Amersham
  • Ley Hill School – Ley Hill, Chesham
  • Prestwood Junior School – Prestwood
  • Brushwood Junior School – Chesham
  • Haddenham St Mary’s CE School – Haddenham
  • Tylers Green First School – Tylers Green
  • St Michael’s CE Combined School – Leighton Buzzard
  • Butlers Court School – Beaconsfield
  • St Mary’s Amersham Primary – Amersham  

A total of 25 of the above schools say they will be spending a “proportion” of their extra cash on refurbishments and IT provision.

Thirteen schools said some of their surplus is ring-fenced for specific grants which they haven’t been able to fully spend, while eight schools said that reduced activities because of the Covid-19 pandemic contributed.

Nine schools said they have vacancies that they budgeted for but did not fill, but said they would be filled within the next academic year.

Six schools also said they were accumulating extra cash to deal with possible future pressures on their budgets, like lower pupil numbers.