The number of schools in financial deficit has sharply risen in just one year.

Of the 62 schools run by Brighton and Hove City Council which provided financial information, 26 are spending more money than they are given annually.

Just 15 schools were in financial deficit in 2021 to 2022.

But while union bosses say the government needs to increase funding, the city council is also blaming empty school places.

“Most of the schools that are in deficit are at primary level,” said the co-chairwoman of the council’s children, families and schools committee Councillor Lucy Helliwell.

“Around one in five of all school places across the city are currently empty.

“The number of empty places is putting a huge strain on school budgets, alongside the continuing underfunding of our schools by the government.  

“These figures show the absolute necessity of us reducing admissions numbers across the city. “

The council is planning to close two schools to tackle the problem.

“If the proposed school closures go ahead, the total number of reception year primary school places in the city will go down to 2,370 by September 2025.”

“That’s still hundreds more places than will be needed for the 1,970 reception year children that are forecast to require a school place at that time.

“We are committed to doing what is necessary to maintain the overall financial health of our city’s schools while making sure there are enough school places across the city for anyone in the city who applies for one.”

There was also a significant rise in the number of schools running a negative budget across the country.

Some 13.1 per cent of local authority-run schools in England had a deficit in 2022 to 2023 – a rise of almost 50 per cent on the year before.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has warned that pupils will pay the price as the government “fails to keep up with rising costs” in education.

Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the ASCL, said many schools must operate “in-year” deficits while identifying longer term savings because of stalling investment in education.

"While schools endeavour to do this without detriment to pupils, this inevitably impacts on provision, such as pastoral support, curriculum options and routine building maintenance," she said.

"Despite the Prime Minister’s promise that his main funding priority in every spending review will be education, schools and colleges received barely a mention in the autumn statement.”

Financial difficulties were especially frequent for nurseries, with almost a third in a deficit across England in 2022 to 2023.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said schools slipping into a deficit "will have cut everything they possibly can first" to maintain a positive budget.

READ MORE: Brighton parents take to streets in fight against school closure

"The number of schools being forced into deficit shows that government funding of education is nowhere near where it should be for the level of demand that actually exists,” he said.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said it is raising funding to £59.6 billion next year – the highest ever level in real terms per pupil.

“We are providing up to £40 million in 2023 to 2024 to support schools in financial difficulties."