MP demands 'fairer' pupil funding

Watch the debate in Westminster Hall: From BBC Democracy Live

Some outer London schools receive up to £1,200 less per pupil from the government compared to inner city schools, a London MP has said.

Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone has asked the government to correct the "anomaly" which sees Haringey paying staff inner city wages but receiving less funding.

The funding shortfall also affects the London boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Merton, Newham and Waltham Forest.

The MP was told the government is reviewing the whole funding situation.

Some areas in Haringey and the five other boroughs count as inner London which means staff are paid London weighting.

Ms Featherstone, who represents Hornsey and Wood Green, raised the "unjust and unacceptable situation" at a debate in Westminster Hall.

'Incredible difference'

Ms Featherstone said: "In Haringey we pay inner London staff salaries, which are higher in recognition of the deprivation and the challenge, but we get outer London pupil funding, which is lower.

"This leaves every child in our borough more than £1,000 worse off than in next door in Camden, Islington or Hackney."

She said bridging the gap would make an "incredible difference" to a borough which comes "fifth on the scale of deprivation".

"It would be something like 10 [additional] teachers per school, it would be a massive £32m per year," she said.

"It would be more books, more attention for children, no leaks in the classrooms."

Ms Featherstone also called for the allocation of an "interim bridging fund of £1,000 per Haringey child until the funding anomaly is corrected".

Earlier, MP for Brent, Sarah Teather, said it cost the borough about £3.5m a year to pay the extra London weighting to its teaching staff.