SCHOOLS could have unused cash "clawed back" by Southend Council after more than £11million went unspent last year.
Secondary schools are to be allowed to keep just five per cent of the money left over at the end of the year, with the rest being taken back into Southend Council's coffers.
Primary schools will be allowed to carry over eight per cent of money from their budget to the next financial year.
The Government has told the council it must claw back the cash.
However, there are exemptions for schools which plan building projects within a three-year time limit, those set to be closed and re-opened and schools which have cash from grants and fundraising.
In a report to Southend Council's cabinet, Cecil Jones College, in Southend, had the biggest amount of leftover cash for a secondary school, with 21.3 per cent of its budget remaining at the end of the financial year.
However, the school is funding a new sixth form building, which may have an impact on how much it would have to repay.
Headteacher Doug Nicholls said the school would not have been able to save funds towards its £3.5million sixth form and business enterprise centre in just one year, so money had to be carried forward.
He added: "If you spend all our money each year you can't improve the environment in a meaningful way.
"I thought we should encourage our children to have long-term plans and save money. You don't tell them to spend all their pocket money."
Blenheim Primary School, in Leigh, is in a similar position because it has 21.3 per cent of its balance remaining, but is paying for a new children's centre.
Kingsdown special school, in Southend, was the third school highlighted in the report, with 17 per cent of its budget remaining be-cause it is set to build a hydropool.
Headteacher Margaret Rimmer said the school saved up because the pool would be a real benefit to disabled pupils.
She added: "Hydrotherapy or swimming is extremely important for our pupils because it takes their weight," she said. "It gives them freedom and it allows them to do a lot of things they would not be able to do out of the water."
Sally Carr, councillor responsible for children and learning, said: "I don't know what the answer is really because if schools want things they are going to have to save. I don't think the Government should be interfering as long as schools can say why they are saving the money, rather than keep it in a pot for a number of years just to be accruing interest."
Mrs Carr said the reasoning behind the clawback was a certain amount of money is handed out per pupil and should be spent during their time there, rather than saved for the future.
She added: "There have been people who have said, for instance, with the Cecil Jones College, the children whose money was used to save for it won't have benefited. The money is really there to provide for the children who are there."
SCHOOL CARRY FORWARDS FOR 2005/2006 AND 2006/2007
Primary Schools
Barons Court Infants 86,279, 119,583
Bleinheim Primary 290,360, 471,947
Bournemouth Park Primary 179,277, 183,560
Bournes Green Infants 10,340, 16,085
Bournes Green Junior 72,297, 86,707
Chalkwell Hall Infants 52,298, 138,097
Chalkwell Hall Junior 38,196, 57,321
Darlinghurst Primary 106,534, 98,246
Earls Hall Infants 17,671, 6,190
Earls Hall Junior 78,028, 75,370
Eastwood Primary 124,187, 134,184
Edwards Hall Primary 171,940, 214,592
Fairways Primary 218,932, 171,523
Friars Primary 34,843, 121,159
Hamstel Infants 84,849, 161,953
Hamstel Junior 127,306, 125,245
Heycroft Primary 39,270, 50,546
Hinguar 93,811, 112,674
Leigh Infants 100,388, 146,979
Leigh North Street Junior 57,985, 80,053
Milton Hall Primary 275,216, 383,999
Our Lady of Lourdes RC 30,769, 120,763
Porters Grange Primary 385,541, 118,170
Prince Avenue Primary 14,220, 47,571
Richmond Primary 106,187, 172,218
Sacred Heart RC 28,395, 34,477
St George's Catholic Primary 121,883, 80,746
St Helen's RC Primary 96,548, 68,055
St Mary's C of E 71,220, 147,561
Temple Sutton -72,623, -81,036
Thorpe Greenways Infants 34,976, 11,005
Thorpe Greenways Junior 89,942, 93,603
Thorpedene Infants 100,277, 77,542
Thorpedene Junior 69,952, 69,602
Westborough Primary School -199,389, -30,910
West Leigh Infants 130,235, 162,459
West Leigh Junior 96,465, 174,720
Total Primary Schools 3,294,922, 4,222,561
Secondary Schools
Belfairs High School -29,503, 9,341
Cecil Jones High 1,598,878, 1,857,436
Prittlewell Tech/Chase High -186,680, 129,805
Eastwood School 460,885, 626,151
Shoebury High 377,622, 576,699
Southend High School Boys 238,007, 514,874
Southend High School Girls 635,028, 234,602
St Bernards High 491,253, 452,518
St Thomas More 65,534, 184,555
Thorpe Bay High -79,587, 166,911
Westcliff High School Boys 727,089, 697,810
Westcliff High School Girls 277,796, 311,134
Total Secondary Schools 4,576,321, 5,761,836
Special Schools Kingsdown 324,606, 327,667
Lancaster 213,003, 246,725
Priory 60,832, 57,456
St Nicholas 125,930, 160,030
The St Christopher School 244,140, 334,472
Total Special Schools 968,511, 1,126,350
Total (all schools)
8,839,754, 11,110,747
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