SCHOOLS in Warrington are ‘preparing to sack teachers and teaching assistants’ despite a funding boost, according to Helen Jones MP.

Education secretary Justine Greening announced councils will be given an extra £1.3billion for schools over two years.

But the boost will be at the expense of free schools and the healthy pupils programme, with no money added to the Department for Education’s budget.

And Warrington North Labour MP Helen Jones said schools in the town will still lose out under the new funding formula.

She told Mrs Greening: “Warrington is one of the lowest funded authorities in the country, yet schools in my constituency were still losing out under the funding formula proposed, and were preparing to sack teachers and teaching assistants.

“Can she confirm that she still does not regard these as underfunded schools, and that the 0.5 per cent increase will not meet the costs imposed on them by staff pay rises, the apprenticeship levy and general inflation, and that pupils in those schools will still lose out?”

But the education secretary hit back, saying Mrs Jones should instead lobby Labour party leaders: “What I have set out today will mean that her schools get a better settlement than they would had her own party won—disastrously, in my opinion— the last election.”

Funding will increase nationally for the PE and sports premium from £160million to £320millon.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said head teachers must ‘strive’ to spend every pound wisely to achieve the best outcomes for pupils and promote social mobility.