Lewisham’s mayor and top councillors have said cuts to the borough’s school funding “cannot go on” as schools face more pressure from knife crime and poverty.

Nearly all of Lewisham’s schools have faced funding cuts since 2015 at a loss of around £257 per pupil – with £8.8m projected to be cut from schools from 2015 to 2020, analysis from School Cuts shows.

Schools have faced losses of as much as £386 per pupil at Conisborough College in Catford, and £329 per pupil at Kilmorie Primary School in Forest Hill.

Fourteen Lewisham schools are in financial deficit, with seven more at risk of a shortfall this month.

Mayor Damien Egan, cabinet member for school performance Cllr Chris Barnham and Cllr Alan Hall are among those who signed a letter addressed to education secretary Damien Hinds which pushes for fair funding for schools.

Cllr Barnham said: “This situation cannot go on. Schools and colleges in Lewisham are working tirelessly to ensure our children and young people get the education they deserve, but their efforts are undermined by government cuts in funding.

“There needs to be a reversal of cuts to school budgets since 2010, and for the funding of schools and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision to be of a level that ensures all children and young people get the education they deserve.”

Cllr Alan Hall, who is a member of Lewisham Trades Council, said schools were facing extra pressure as families struggled to make ends meet, with kids arriving at school without breakfast.

Dealing with the aftermath of crime was also an extra burden for schools, he said.

“It is time to fund schools for all the work that they are expected to do,” he said.

Schools continue to face pressures in their budgets from salary increases, contract price increases and paying into the apprenticeship levy.

Other concerns include a potential drop in the number of children eligible for pupil premium – money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children.