SCHOOLS in North Dorset are facing debt because of a government funding bias in favour of urban schools.

That’s the warning from Nicola Denham, the head teacher of St Mary’s Catholic School in Marnhull, who says she is facing a deficit budget for the first time in her career.

And Mrs Denham warned that the financial situation could worsen for schools in the district, with public spending cuts pledged by the three main political parties ahead of the general election.

“Never before have I faced a deficit budget. I have always been very careful with funding.

“We are trying to avoid it all costs, but there’s no way around it. I think it’s going to get worse in 2011/12,” said Mrs Denham.

The head teacher said the government’s settlement for schools in rural areas was lower per child than for schools in cities.

“The government has a conception that we are a nice rural area, teaching middle class children, but we have as many problem children as any other school,” she said.

Tight budgets were stretched to breaking point by the school’s obligation to children with special needs, she said, adding that County Hall education chiefs had told her their budget had been exhausted.

And as the only Catholic school in the area, St Mary’s also faced a huge transport bill paying for buses to transport children from areas outside the county council’s zone for funded transport, said Mrs Denham.

North Dorset MP Bob Walter has pledged to take up the issue of government funding for schools with the secretary of state for children, schools, and families, Ed Balls.

“The broader issue here is one of poor central government funding for our rural schools, which lose out to larger urban areas, as well as the fatal assumption by city-centric ministers that seemingly wealthy areas like Dorset do not suffer from poverty and deprivation,” said Mr Walter.