Concerns over a new school funding formula has prompted East Devon MP Hugo Swire to sign a letter to the Chancellor, Philip Hammond.
Supporting the cross-party f40 Campaign Group, which is demanding fairer funding for schools across the UK, Mr Swire said he was “pleased to sign this letter from the f40 campaign for fairer school funding”.
He added: “Each child in a Devon school still receives £304 less than the national average, meaning that Devon misses out on £27 million per year. I recently met East Devon headteachers to discuss funding issues.”
The campaign group is calling for equal opportunities in education for all children, regardless of where they live.
It says the introduction of the National Funding Formula is a step in the right direction but doesn’t go far enough.
The biggest concern is that one unfair system has been replaced by another.
MPs have told Mr Hammond in the letter: “We are concerned that the formula does not give enough basic entitlement to schools and allows too much for add-ons, enabling big differences in funding to occur between different local authorities and schools.”
They claim vulnerable pupils could be permanently damaged by the funding formula and that concerns are being raised at a time when schools are facing considerable financial pressures.
