It’s emerged that one of the schools being asked to give cash back to West Berkshire Council (WBC) is about to apply for Academy status. The council is whipping back £2.4m from Brookfields’ £3.4m funds before it loses control. The council, meanwhile, says it needs to reduce the £9m budget deficit in special needs education budgets in the district, although Brookfields is a special needs school. The council says the money it is clawing back will be used to prop up what it terms ‘non-statutory’ services such as mental health support, emotional, health academied and early intervention work. And s…