TWO teachers at Milverton are at the forefront of a plea for better funding of schools in the Westcountry.

Head teachers say Somerset is an historically under-funded area with the whole of the South-West being badly affected.

Milverton Primary School headteacher Richard Stead said: “All schools are facing the same issue. School funding is like a cake – it doesn’t matter how you slice it, it’s not big enough.

“It’s clear if you look at the numbers, there is more money because the numbers are higher, but that doesn’t account for wage increases, prices going up with inflation.

“For most people, there’s more money, however, things cost more, you aren’t better off.

“The National Audit Office said real-term cuts are at eight per cent. We can’t just stop having HR, or payroll, or support staff. What it’s cut is services for the children.

“The Government isn’t listening. They won’t even talk about it because they know they aren’t doing the right thing.”

Josh Wedderkopp, a teacher at Milverton, as well as Crowcombe and Stogumber Primary School, has written an open letter urging people to contact their political representatives to reverse the damage caused by the lack of funding.

He said: “I am a resident of Langford Budville, a parent and a primary school teacher. My oldest child is ten years old and is a child of austerity.

“Year on year I have seen his schools forced to struggle with which aspects of his education to allow to degrade as their budget has reduced. I have taught in a West Somerset school for the same period of time and we have faced identical issues.

“With a decade of cuts in all government services, we are experiencing an ever increasing proportion of children coming into the school system with special educational, emotional and behavioural needs, and year on year schools have less money to support them.”

Somerset County Council cabinet member for education, Cllr Faye Purbrick, said Somerset schools would receive ‘millions more’ if they received the national average.