A HEADTEACHER is optimistic that a new financial plan to turn around the struggling finances of a Powys secondary school will work.
At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Governance and Audit Committee on Friday, January 12, the Headteacher of Ysgol Calon Cymru appeared before members to answer concerns about the secondary school’s financial situation.
The school, formed following the closure Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells high schools in 2018, has run at a deficit since 2019.
At the time of its opening £1.374 million of debt carried by the schools was wiped off the slate.
Ian Halstead, assistant director of the council’s internal auditors SWAP, explained that the deficit was projected to rise to £1.579 million at the end of 2023/2024, £1,989 million in 2024/2025, £2.335 million in 2025/2026 and £2.405 in 2026/2027.
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But there are signs that the in-year deficits that add to the total are slowing down, and could be as low as £69,854 in 2026/2027 – compared with over £600,000 in the coming year.
Mr Halstead said: “Generally, the school is performing well.
“A budget recovery plan has been put forward but has not been approved yet.”
Headteacher Richard Jones, who permanently took the school’s helm in March 2021, believed it had taken four years for the “complicated” schools merger to reach a point where it could address the financial problems.
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Dr Jones: “We are at a point now where we can be a leaner and more efficient organisation, but it’s taken us time to get there.
“We’re a far more straightforward school now and I feel optimistic about our future financial projections.”
Conservative group leader, Cllr Aled Davies quizzed Dr Jones over the finance projections and wanted “improvement” to be defined in relation to the most recent projections.
Cr Jones explained: “We’ve been working since September to improve our budget recovery plan."
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