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Give us the money
CHESTERFIELD'S MP has called for the Government to "give us the money" after revealing the county's schoolchildren have been short changed for a decade.
Paul Holmes discovered the average spent on each Derbyshire pupil is almost 400 a year less than the England average — compared to 230 less ten years ago — through answers to parliamentary questions this week.
He said: "The funding per pupil has gone up but less than the rest of the country and the gap has widened.
"Why does the Government believe that Derbyshire's children are worth so much less than children elsewhere in England?"
He said those now aged 16/17 in Chesterfield would have received 2,900 less than the average since starting school.
And a 1,000 pupil school would have received nearly 3m less to spend on staff, resources and personal tuition.
Despite this, the county's GCSE and post-16 exam results have been steadily improving and have consistently beaten the national average.
Mike Longden, Derbyshire County Council's education chief, said the county's children received a first class education, adding: "These results reflect the high quality and dedication of our teaching staff coupled with the support of the local authority.
"Of course, the more funding is available the better, but what's most important is how the money is used."
It's not just the county's schools which have been short changed. The Police force has been underfunded for decades and currently receives around 5m a year less than the Government's funding formula calculates — equating to 140 extra police officers.
Mr Holmes said the situation was the same for our local authorities which also lost out simply for being in a shire county.
He added: "We don't want the Government to review the formula — just give us the money."
A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesperson said the Government had put unprecedented investment into schools with funding nearly doubling in real terms since 1997.
She added: "We want all children to have an equal chance to succeed and it is right that we invest our resources where they are most needed.
"That is why funding levels reflect relative disadvantage in each area. We also give more to areas where it costs schools more to recruit and retain staff."
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Weather for Eastwood
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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