Billingham school 'won't be able to buy books' as costs rise

St Michael's Catholic Academy in Billingham has seen its gas and electricity bills double

A head teacher has warned her secondary school will struggle to buy books and computers after being hit by a sharp rise in food and energy prices.

St Michael's Catholic Academy, in Billingham, on Teesside, has seen its gas and electricity bill double in recent months.

The cost of providing school dinners has risen by 10%.

The government said it was "considering what additional support" could be offered to all schools.

More than £115,000 has been added to St Michael's annual energy bill after the cost of electricity went up by 95% and gas by 139%, head teacher Helen Keough said.

The school - which has 1,025 pupils aged 11-16 - must also pay an extra £30,000 after national insurance costs for staff were increased - equivalent to the salary for one teacher.

Head teacher Helen Keough says cost pressures would limit what resources it could fund for pupils

Ms Keough said the school's budget was being squeezed just as it tried to recover from two years of pandemic-related disruption.

"We've got the pupils back into school and are really driving forward their educational opportunities, which is fantastic.

"But these inflationary pressures that are on schools now are really going to limit what we can do.

"I'm not going to be able to buy books, I'm not going to be able to replace computers, I'm not going to be able to subsidise trips or improve the sports facilities."

The Department for Education said it was "looking carefully" at how cost pressures were set to impact schools and what support it could offer them.

It added: "Cost increases should be seen in the wider context of funding. In 2022-23, core schools funding will increase by £4bn compared to 2021-22 - a 7% cash terms per pupil boost - and this will help schools to meet wider cost pressures, including energy prices.

"All schools can access a range of tools to help them get the best value from their resources, including recommended deals for energy costs and services related to energy."