MORE than half of school leaders in Wales are predicting a budget deficit this academic year as a financial crisis forces many to cut services and staff.

The bleak finding — nearly double the 29 per cent who reported a deficit last year — comes after school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru surveyed its members on funding.

More than a quarter said they expected to face their first-ever deficit in 2024-25.  All of them said they did not receive sufficient funding to meet fully the needs of all their pupils.