Cash boost for county schools

The Government has increased the amount it is spending on schoolchildren in Staffordshire - but youngsters still get one of the lowest levels of funding nationwide.

The county has historically missed out on funding as it is not considered "deprived" enough across the board. Figures today show that the Government is giving Staffordshire £3,597 to spend per pupil.

This compares to £3,830 for each child in the West Midlands as a whole, and £3,903 per pupil in the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

This leaves Staffordshire ranking 132nd out of 149 local authorities nationally, despite the authority investing an extra £10million.

Last year the county petitioned the Government - along with other low-funded authorities which joined together to form the F40 Fairer Funding campaign - to look at the way grant formulas are calculated.

Tim Ash, spokesman for Staffordshire County Council, said: "The Government is currently reviewing the allocation of Dedicated Schools Grant.

"Government grant allocations are based on a formula which takes account of various factors such as deprivation and sparsity, and adds a basic level of entitlement.

"It is the balance between the basic entitlement and these other factors that influences funding.

"Historically, Staffordshire does not score highly on the additional factors."

Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield and Burntwood, said: "Staffordshire schools have lost out again. When Staffordshire Labour MPs were campaigning for election back in 1997, they promised that a Labour Government would fund Staffordshire school students the same as anywhere else within a year.

"Ten years later, a school in the City of London will receive £7,090 per pupil, a school in Surrey will receive £3,800 per pupil, yet our schools in Staffordshire will only receive £3,597 per pupil."

By Sally Walmsley