TEACHERS and school governors in West Devon have this month launched a campaign for 'fairer' funding for schools in Devon.

The Hands Up for Fairer School Funding campaign says the county is one of the worst funded education authorities in England, ranking 148th out of 151 councils.

In practical terms, funding for every pupil in Devon is £3,842 — £375 less than the national average of £4,217.

The campaign organisers have set up a petition calling for fairer school funding for Devon on the Number 10 website. They are urging parents and anyone who supports the move to view and sign the petition.

Chairman of governors at Tavistock College Mandy Govier said: 'Why should the children of Devon be penalised in the funding of their education compared to other parts of the country?

'Most of the costs of education are uniform across the whole country, ie, national agreements for staff salaries, costs of books and equipment. But we do differ with regard to utility bills — we pay the highest charges for water in the country.

'Every child deserves to have the best possible education and the government has a duty to fund every child fairly.

'There are some small primary schools within the area really struggling with their budgets. An extra £375 per pupil would make an enormous difference to them.

 'At Tavistock College it would add £656,250 to the budget, with which we could offer vocational courses in construction and caring services, additional improvements and equipment to the science facility.'

Headteacher of St Andrew's Primary School at Buckland Monachorum, Sarah Pendle, said: 'The government's slogan is "Every Child Matters' but surely, they all matter equally? Why should it be different for children living in Surrey, or Northumberland, or Devon? Children deserve to have the same grounding, wherever they live.

'We have very narrow margins. We all hope to get our full allocation of pupils so we get funded properly. We rely hugely on our staff, they are our most valuable resource and we need to pay them properly.'

John Hart, Devon County Council leader, claimed the government had let the county's children down by inadequate funding.

Despite that, he said the county's schools were in the top third for exam results, which showed teachers were doing 'an excellent job with limited resources'.

Schools minister Vernon Coaker said funding levels reflected relative disadvantage in each area and Devon had fewer pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

He insisted education was a government priority and there had been 'unprecedented' increases in funding since 1997.

In a statement, Mr Coaker said funding in Devon had increased by £1,070 per pupil (34%) in real terms between 1997 and 2005 and by 2010 funding per pupil in Devon would be £4,005 — up £454 on 2007/08.

'It is the case that not all authorities receive the same amount per pupil but it is right to invest resources where they are most needed,' he said.

There would be a consultation process in 2010 for a new funding formula and Devon's input would be welcome.