"Like sucking blood out of a stone" says Michael Fabricant, the Government
(through Schools Minister David Miliband) has just released the formula
spending share per pupil for each of the local education authorities in
England for 2004-2005. Out of 151 local education authorities,
Staffordshire is 6th from the very bottom of worst funded.

In 2004-05 Staffordshire schools will have allocated £2,209 per primary
school allocated per pupil and £2,876 per secondary school pupil. This
compares with secondary school funding of £3,426 for Manchester and a
staggering £4,748 for Tower Hamlets in the east end of London.

"In an average secondary school of 1100 pupils, it means that next year a
headmaster in Greater Manchester will receive £605,000 than a similar school
in Staffordshire. This just cannot be fair" says Michael Fabricant. "I
have argued since I entered Parliament in 1992 that apart from children with
special educational needs, those needing to be taught English as a second
language, and central London where teachers are paid on a higher scale,
every school throughout the land should receive the same amount per primary
and secondary school pupil. I will continue to fight for this and I hope
that Labour Members of Parliament will fight for this too".