HEAD teachers are furious after a Government U-turn means schools in Warrington remain some of the worst funded in the country – despite promises the system would change.

Warrington is one of 10 areas in the country where schools receive the lowest amount of money per pupil.

Schools in the town receive £4,236 per pupil as opposed to those in some top funded areas which get more than double this amount – up to £8,595 per pupil.

The Conservative government was planning to launch a fairer funding plan but education secretary Justine Greening announced on Thursday she is no longer planning to start the policy in 2017.

There had been celebrations in Warrington earlier this year when Warrington South MP David Mowat said the system would be changing after a promise from George Osborne in November.

Craig Burgess, head teacher at Appleton Thorn primary school, led a campaign to change the unfair system and petitioned last year.

He said: “I thought it was a joke when I first heard the news. I’m really shocked.

“We were praying that this money was going to come through. 

“This will hit Warrington schools very hard.

“It’s not fair to have one child educated in one part of the country receive more funding and another child somewhere else receiving less.

“Parents are getting a worse deal. 

“Warrington schools are some of the best performing in the country for the money they get.”

Mr Burgess said that schools are struggling to meet increasing costs with the same budgets and said he had faced an £11,500 increase in national insurance costs alone this year.

“Effectively our budgets are shrinking,” he said.

“Teaching assistants will start to disappear in schools because there won’t be enough money and they will be struggling to put teachers in front of classes.

“I’m very lucky because we managed to balance the books this year but next year we are going to struggle. 

“The government already know the funding system is wrong so why are they waiting to change it?”

Mr Mowat has said in the past that the current funding formula puts schools in the town at a disadvantage.

He said: “I’m disappointed that implementation will be delayed but this issue has not arisen overnight and it won’t be solved overnight either.

“I’m confident that the will is there to finally get this issue resolved and I will continue to work hard to represent my constituents.”