Headteacher 'upset' and 'angry' after West Berkshire Council looks to claw back surplus budget
Watch: ITV Meridian's Juliette Fletcher reports from The Downs School near Newbury.
A headteacher in Newbury has told ITV Meridian he's concerned his school could lose funds, as West Berkshire Council looks to claw back millions of pounds from surplus budgets.
The Downs School has raised half a million pounds, with the help of parents, that would go towards repairs.
Tiny classrooms in the sixth form block and crumbling toilet facilities, are some of the things headteacher, Chris Prosser wanted to change.
But now he says that is at risk, as the money they've raised for those projects is now being clawed back by West Berkshire Council.
"It actually makes me quite upset", he told ITV Meridian. "I've been a head teacher for ten years, and all through that I've always faced a challenging budget.
"So to be in that to be in this position after that length of time, where we have that money is really upsetting and disappointing, and I'm angry."
The Council has the power to redistribute excess funds to support local children.
The Downs School are being asked for £490,000, but they say it's not surplus from Government funding, it's self-generated income specifically raised to fund projects like the expansion of the sixth form centre.
Right now the space they have isn't enough to cope with growing pupil numbers, and Business Manager, Rebecca Brophy says it needs expanding.
"We are now 1404 students and the classroom spaces that we have, we just don't have enough", she said.
"We find a lot of the time that we have teachers who might have a lesson in period one in one building, and they might have a lesson in period 2 on the other side of the school.
"We want them there opening the door and welcoming students in to their classes, and that doesn't work if we haven't got enough classrooms spaces, and they are moving round the site on a regular basis."
West Berkshire Council has now confirmed it was not its intention to take income which has been raised by or on behalf of the school and which should be kept in a separate account to the grant funding.
It said schools will have the opportunity to provide financial information to show the source of accrued funds and which will be considered by the Council before any funding is returned for redistribution.
Councillor Heather Codling, Executive Member for Children and Family Services said: "This a decision which was taken collectively by schools themselves to improve the provision of support and services to all children and young people in the district.
"It will only affect schools with significant and excessive funding which has not been committed to projects - it's money sitting in accounts without appearing to provide any benefit for our young people.
"This move will allow for a fairer and more productive use of the money - in my view it's the right thing to do for our residents."
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