NOT enough money is going into the education system in Wales, that’s the official view of a Welsh Assembly committee.

The report from the National Assembly’s Children, Young People and Education Committee is likely to be welcomed by schools and parents in Powys.

Committee chair Lynne Neagle AM however said the system for funding schools also needs to be simplified but said the Welsh Government should urgently review the minimum cost of running a school and educating a child.

She said: "The evidence we heard during our inquiry was overwhelming - there is not enough money going into the education system in Wales and not enough finding its way to schools.

"The system for funding schools is hugely complex, multi-layered and dependent on many factors. While it would have been easy for us as a committee to simply recommend additional funding for education and for schools, we absolutely believe that increasing the level of funding alone is not the solution. The funding must also be used effectively."

Parents at Crickhowell High School launched a campaign last year stating the comprehensive is the lowest funded school in Wales while other schools across the county are struggling to set balanced budgets.

Brecon High School is understood to have the largest debt of any high school in Powys while the county council last month approved nearly a third of all schools setting deficit budgets, meaning they plan to spend more money over the coming financial year than they will receive.

Total debts held by Powys schools amount to nearly £4 million.

Staff costs account for the majority of school spending meaning most schools have to make redundancies, or not replace staff who leave, to balance the books.

The challenge facing schools has been highlighted by the financial situation at Powys’ newest secondary, Ysgol Calon Cymru.

It operates on the sites of the former Builth Wells and Llandrindod high schools. The closing deficit balances of the schools of £1.374 million was written off when they closed at the end of the 2018 summer term.

But just two and a half terms into its existence Ysgol Calon Cymru is projected to be £443,599 in the red.

This figure is projected to rise to £1.259 million in the 2020/21 financial year and projected to be over £2.3 million by 2021/2022.

The committee wants the Welsh Government to to provide an estimate of the funding gap between the amount currently spent on schools and the amount needed to deliver all that is required of them.

How cash is allocated to schools, which varies across Wales, was also looked at and how more than 500 schools hold "significant" reserves above the legal threshold for intervention by local authorities.

Concerns was also raised at how additional responsibilities, including for pupils’ mental health and additional learning needs, is impacting on budgets.

Ms Neagle said: "Our worry is that with increasing pressures, the challenges for schools could get worse."

Wales’ largest education union welcomed the report.

David Evans, Wales secretary for the National Education Union Cymru, said: "We agree with the Committee that there needs to be an urgent review of school funding and look forward to working with them on that."