Heads ask minister for more money

Campaigners say schools in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset are losing out

Schools across the south west of England have taken their fight for more money to Westminster.

Head teachers want a review of the way government education grants are calculated.

Under the current system many schools in the south west receive significantly less than the national average.

A delegation led by Devon County Council met the Schools Minister Vernon Coaker and Shadow Ministers from the two main political parties.

Grant formula

The one-day conference was organised to coincide with the completion of a government review of the school funding formula.

Devon is 148th out of 151 local education authorities in England.

The average funding per pupil in Devon is £3,842. The national average is £4,217. Campaigners say schools in Dorset and Cornwall also bear the brunt of the formula.

They say that a 1,000 pupil secondary school is £375,000 a year worse off, the equivalent of paying for around 10 experienced teachers.

School curriculum

Ivan Ould, chairman of of the pressure group f40, told the Politics Show South West:

"We want every school to be entitled to a basic amount of activity-led funding that covers all the requirements of a basic school curriculum and at what is judged to be the standard level of educational provision we can afford for all pupils."

Schools are pinning their hopes on a government review of spending

In addition f40 is pressing for a raft of changes including additional educational need funds targeted at under-achieving pupils and extra help for staff recruitment and retention in high-cost areas.

The campaign is supported by Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs in the south west.

The Schools Minister told the Politics Show: "We have recognised that there are issues with the current funding formula.

"We are in the middle of a review and we are listening to concerns. We intend to come forward with a new system in 2011-2012 which we hope will address some of the concerns."

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