Sixty schools in Bradford are under pressure to justify why they have collectively stashed away £27.6 million more than they are supposed to.

Government rules allow primary schools to save eight per cent of their yearly budget to carry into the next year. For secondary schools the limit is five per cent.

Forty-three primary and 11 secondary schools have saved excessive amounts. Nursery and special schools make up the other breaches.

The biggest ‘offender’ is Laisterdyke Business & Enterprise College which was allowed to save £307,100 this year but has banked more than £1.3m.

Iqra Community Primary, Manningham, has more surplus money than any other primary school – £204,278.

Laisterdyke’s principal, Jen McIntosh, insisted the money would be spent wisely.

She said: “The college takes very seriously its duty to work with governors in ensuring that every penny of public money is properly spent on giving our students a great education."

“With this in mind, by September we will be better staffed than ever, particularly in English and maths. We will have completed a superb Post-16 block to facilitate opportunities for 16 to 19-year-olds and transformed external and social areas for students to make this a first-class learning environment. “A significant amount of the surplus is held on behalf of our confederation of schools to support the work of the Behaviour and Attendance Collaborative. "

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services and education, said: “The Council is, of course, keen to ensure that the budgets are spent on meeting the educational needs of children and young people, and there is a rigorous process in place to ensure that schools are only retaining the balances required to achieve both their immediate and their long-term plans.

“While school budgets have been largely protected there is uncertainty about levels of funding beyond the end of this financial year. In these circumstances it’s likely that schools will be prudent in their spending this year.”

Coun Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Council’s Liberal Democrat group, said: “No school should be squirreling money away if they haven’t got plans for it.

“I think schools are being cautious given the reductions in capital resources."

Coun Roger L’Amie, education spokesman for the Council’s Conservative group, said: “Schools need to be able to explain why they have built these surpluses up in the first place and they need to demonstrate what clear plans they have in place within a reasonable period of time to use the money to the benefit of future or current pupils.”

  • Read the full story in Tuesday's T&A