'Give us some cash, Gordon,' say pupils

PUPILS from North Somerset have handed over a petition at 10 Downing Street demanding a fairer deal over school funding.

Youngsters aged 10 and 11 from Hutton Primary School presented the 600-signature petition to officials.

It calls for a fairer share of cash for the area, which gets around £600 less per pupil than Bristol.

Hutton Primary teacher Rachel Hannath said: "That money could go a long way in our school. It could go towards another educational trip or on subsidising camps. Something has to be done."

Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose collected the petition signatures from parents at local schools over the past few weeks.

When the school year started in September, North Somerset schools only received £3,757 per pupil, £134 less per pupil than schools in neighbouring Bath and North East Somerset and more than £609 less than in Bristol.

Mr Penrose, shadow business minister, said: "We are making the point that the funding system is unfair. While we all accept there has to be some extra funding for schools with high special educational needs and those with a high number of pupils from difficult backgrounds, the difference should not be this stark.

"The Government increased education funding last year, which was great news.

"But North Somerset's problems weren't solved as our funding started from much lower and has gone up by less than virtually everywhere else in the country.

"Every pupil should get a base entitlement to meet their base needs, plus extra for factors like deprivation or special needs.

"The Government needs to end the postcode lottery education funding formula that it has set up and provide a fair deal for all children, no matter where they live."

Mr Penrose says school- children in Weston and the villages are some of the worst funded in the country, with North Somerset ranked 135th out of 148 local education authorities.