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