THE headteacher of one of Southend’s most highly- rated schools has revealed it is facing a £250,000 budget deficit.

Dr Robin Bevan, head of Southend High School for Boys, says it is struggling to balance the books, because of the way schools such as his are funded by the Government.

Dr Bevan, whose school was rated “outstanding” in all areas by Ofsted last December, is calling for the scrapping of the Pupil Premium, which gives extra money to schools with pupils from deprived backgrounds.

Cash shortages mean the boys’ grammar school is having to cut teaching time for sixth-formers, increase class sizes in Year 7 and ration things such as the use of computer printers.

Dr Bevan spoke out after Prime Minster David Cameron announced if the Tories were to win the election in May, he would not increase funding per pupil, meaning it would not track inflation and effectively be a cut.

The headteacher said: “Over the past few years, our income has been just enough, but very quickly it has gone from just enough to not enough.”

The school is an academy, funded, not by Southend Council, but directly from Whitehall, which pays it a sum of money per pupil to cover running costs. Part of the amount each school gets is based on pupils’ social background, with schools teaching children from deprived homes getting more.

This means some schools get as much as £7,500 a pupil, while Southend High School for Boys, whose pupils have all passed the 11- Plus exam and tend to come from more affluent families, gets an average of just £4,500.

Dr Bevan said: “I understand there are more challenges with certain children and you need more staff and resources, but it is a difference that has gone beyond the point where it can be sensibly defended.

“It is the schools that are quiet, effective and efficient deliverers of superb outcomes which are struggling to break even.”

Dr Bevan said he had been concerned about the school’s finances for about 18 months.

As a result, MP Sir David Amess had set up a private meeting of the borough’s grammar school heads and the then Education Secretary, Michael Gove MP to discuss the issue. After hearing Mr Cameron’s words on Monday, Dr Bevan said he felt he could no longer remain silent.

He even appeared on the BBC’s News at Ten bulletin that night to air his views.

Dr Bevan said: “There is nothing wrong with having classes of 30. It is more that our school building was built for classes of 25, so 30 15-year-olds in a classroom do not fit.”

Two pupils also appeared on the news to highlight the situation and how it affected them.

One said: “We do not have the money to function properly as a school.

“We can keep the lights on but that’s about it.”

Councillor: Money is tight all round

SOUTHEND High School for Boys is an academy, and so outside Southend Council’s control.

However, the council is encouraging all schools to keep an eye on their finances.

Anne Jones, Southend councillor responsible for the borough’s schools, said finance was an issue for all the town’s schools, not just its academies and selective schools.

She said: “There are issues that affect all our schools’ finances.

“There is a move from the Government to a national formula funding framework for schools, but the adjustment does not recognise our schools are competing for staff with London boroughs which get more money. We are tied to the same funding formula as seaside towns such as Clacton and Harwich.”

Stuart Reynolds, head of Futures Community College, echoed Mrs Jones’s warning.

He said: “The funding situation is affecting all schools and everybody is struggling, regardless of the background of the students.

“We have a need to do the best for our pupils and as headteachers we all have to monitor our budgets very carefully, balancing things as we go.”

How the numbers stack up

Number of pupils – 1,100
Expected deficit next year – £250,000
Reduction in Government sixth form funding over three years – 20 per cent
Monthly wage bill – about £333,000
Increase in National Insurance contributions – 3 per cent (£120,000 more per year)
Reduction in weekly number of A-Level teaching hours, per pupil, per subject – two hours, from ten to eight
Lessons lost in a year from this reduction – 1,000

Increase in Year 7 class sizes – from 25 to 30 pupils