SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax has backed calls for fairer government funding for Dorset schools.

The Conservative politician attended a meeting held by the F40 group, an organisation established by the 37 lowest funded education authorities in the county – to which Dorset County Council belongs.

Afterwards, Mr Drax said: “Together with other members of F40, I will be launching a petition this summer to demand a new, national funding formula for our schools, to be introduced without delay.”

He pointed out the top ten best funded areas in the country get an average of £6,300 per pupil, while the poorest ten funded areas get an average of £4,200.

“This funding gap occurs in both secondary and primary education and has in face widened in recent years,” said Mr Drax.

“No amount of special needs or early years subsidies can account for this inequity. The fact is that Dorset has been near the bottom of the funding ladder for year s and until the formula is completely rethought, we will remain there.”

Schools funding is seriously flawed, he said, and was getting worse despite increasing budgets.

“The problem is unfair distribution, based upon historical settlements, which just make bad situations worse.

“It also takes no account of the sparsity of pupils in some of our more rural areas.”

The F40 group is working towards changing in the way central government allocates funds to local education authorities and schools.

A group spokesman explained: “Whilst F40 has welcomed the extra money allocated to education in recent years, it believes that adjustments to the formula have failed to address the fundamental problems inherent in the old system.

“League tables showing the funding of all authorities in England clearly show how disadvantaged the poorest funded authorities are compared with those who are better funded.

“Despite minor changes to the funding system, the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ has widened.”