SCHOOLS in Gloucestershire have fallen nearly £1 million further into the red.

Twenty-five schools in the county are now struggling to balance their books, compared with 14 in the 2007/08 academic year.

The total debt of £2.04 million, up from £1.1 million the previous year, means the average deficit per school is about £82,000 – almost £6,700 above the national average.

Three secondary schools, including Pittville in Cheltenham, account for £1.65 million of the deficit. The others struggling are Central Technology College, in Gloucester, and Maidenhill, in Stonehouse.

Jo Grills, director of learning and development at Gloucestershire County Council, said staff were working hard to get back into the black.

She said: "All three schools have experienced difficulties turning their finances around because of low pupil numbers – funding is on a per pupil basis.

"We have been working closely with the three schools and have been assisting them in raising standards.

"This, in turn, leads to higher pupil numbers as schools become more popular with the community, and consequently, an improved financial situation.

"We have different plans and approaches in place for each school, but across the board we are seeing improvements that are encouraging for the future."

According to figures obtained by the Echo under the Freedom of Information Act, Pittville had 235 spare places in January 2009. The school currently has 620 pupils on its roll.

There were 348 surplus places at Central Technology College, while Maidenhill could have accommodated another 174 students.

All three schools are being scrutinised by a board set up by the county council to monitor their performance.

A report written by council officers for a meeting of the Gloucestershire Schools Forum said secondary schools were particularly susceptible to slipping further into debt.

It said: "While there is a sound process in place to identify schools at risk of going into deficit, it must be concerning there has been an increase in the number of schools where this is an issue.

"There must also be a risk that reductions in Government funding will adversely impact on this and may begin to test individual schools' sustainability."

Figures released last year revealed relative wealth between schools in Gloucestershire varied by more than £1 million. At the top end of the scale, Chosen Hill in Churchdown ended the 2007/08 financial year with nearly £600,000 in leftover funds, the vast majority of which has been reinvested in the school.

Meanwhile, Central Technology College recorded debts of £516,000.

Bishop's Cleeve Primary School had a £64,000 deficit and St Thomas More Catholic Primary School in Cheltenham also lodged debts of £25,000.

Schools which have slipped into the red by more than £10,000 have to send a "recovery plan" to the county council detailing how they intend to deal with the shortfall.