The percentage of local authority (LA) maintained schools in deficit has more than doubled in five years, new data shows.

Statistics published today by the Department for Education (DfE) show that 12 per cent of all LA-maintained schools were in deficit in 2019-20 - the most recent year for which data is available - compared with 5.4 per cent in 2014-15.

Between 2018-19 and 2019-20 alone, the proportion rose from 9.9 per cent to 12 per cent.

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When broken down by phase, the data shows there has been a recent dip in the proportion of secondary schools in the red.

However, this is the only group for which the percentage of schools in deficit has decreased for the most recent year on record.

Between 2018-19 and 2019-20, the proportion of primaries in the red rose from 7.9 per cent to 10.3 per cent.

For special schools, the figure increased from 12.5 per cent to 13.4 per cent; for nurseries, it rose from 17.7 per cent to 21 per cent; and for pupil referral units, it soared from 15.9 per cent to 20.7 per cent.