Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd/Newport City Council

The education finance team works in a structured way with all primary and some secondary schools to support the development and management of their budgets as part of a service level agreement. The work of this team is strong, and school leaders value the effective and ongoing challenge and support offered to them around both high surpluses and potential deficits. The team uses comparative data in its work with schools to help them manage their financial positions and, where relevant, draws on valuable knowledge and experience across the education service and more widely across the authority, including human resources colleagues. The education finance team works intensively with schools to address potential deficit budgets. Where schools apply for a licenced deficit, this is only authorised if officers assess that the associated deficit recovery plan is both appropriate and achievable. For these schools, the local authority requires full governing body attendance at a training session with officers to set out the implications of being in deficit. Officers meet regularly with schools to monitor progress against deficit recovery plans. Five schools ended the last financial year with a deficit and only one school was unable to set a balanced budget for the current financial year. The investment in the capacity of the education finance team and the diligent work of officers means that this is a more positive picture than was the case a few years ago.