EVERY head teacher in Warrington has written to parents and carers asking them to take a stand against ‘unfair’ cuts to their children’s education.

The Government’s new funding plans will see Warrington schools lose almost a quarter of a million pounds each year.

Proposals, set to be introduced in April 2018, would see Warrington remain one of the 10 lowest funded areas in the country for education.

Gwyn Williams, head teacher at Lymm High School, said the cuts will directly affect students: “Given that the greater part of school budgets relate to staffing costs, head teachers have very few options for saving money that don’t have a direct impact on the quality of provision for students.

“Unless the government can be persuaded to make changes, the impact on our children’s education could be very damaging.”

Under current plans, schools in Warrington are set to receive £4,306 per pupil in comparison to schools in top-funded areas, which will be given an average of £6,775 – a difference of £2,469 for every single student.

Mr Williams added: “Every head teacher in Warrington is this week writing to parents and carers, asking them to join the fight for fairer schools funding. The situation is that serious.

“Coming on top of substantial cuts that nearly all schools have suffered in recent years, these government proposals are desperately disappointing for Warrington schools.

“Whilst a handful will see an increase in funding, the vast majority will not – and even those who are set to gain will remain significantly worse off than similar schools in other areas of the country.

“The proposed formula makes no sense at all and is patently unfair.”

Plans for fairer school funding were put on hold by Conservative education secretary Justine Greening in 2016 until 2018.

But Cllr Jean Carter, Warrington Borough Council’s executive board member for children’s services, said the new proposals will hit Warrington harder.

She said: “What the government has done is replace one postcode lottery with another. And rather than Warrington schools being rewarded for doing well, despite already receiving less than average funding, they are being penalised even more.

“It’s right that a greater emphasis is placed on factors such as deprivation and prior attainment but, London aside, the cost of running schools is broadly similar and the funding mechanism should reflect this.

“What we wanted from the government was fundamental reform. We welcomed the review and, as an area that receives a lot less than the national average, fully expected to see schools’ budgets increase under the new system.

“What we have got instead is a formula that preserves the status of the best-funded areas, that entrenches the disparity between the haves and have-nots, and that undermines government talk of supporting a ‘Northern Powerhouse’.

“All Warrington’s children deserve the best start in life – this new funding formula puts that at serious risk and I urge anybody who cares as passionately as I do about education to join the fight for a fairer deal.”

The council is supporting the fight for fairer school funding and for more information or to have your say visit warrington.gov.uk/schoolcuts by March 22.