DORSET is to receive an extra £1.8million for schools – but it will remain one of the lowest funded areas in the country.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that schools are to receive an extra £350m in 2015-16 in a bid to help the least fairly funded areas in the country.

Responding to the announcement, Cllr Toni Coombs, Dorset County Council’s Cabinet member for education, said: “Dorset is one of the lowest funded counties for education.

“We have been campaigning for education equality for all our children for a long time, so we welcome the DfE's announcement of plans to increase per-pupil budgets for the least fairly funded areas in the country.

“We want to see genuine fairness so we can help our schools be the best they can be, and for them to have the resources to target funding for those pupils that need extra help.

“At our first glance of the proposals, it looks like Dorset will receive an additional £1.8 million, which is an increase of about £37 per pupil.

“While this is certainly a step in the right direction the total increase is still less than 1 per cent, so we will still be one of lowest funded areas in the country. We will be challenging the Government’s calculations as part of our feedback to their consultation.”

Dorset County Council is a member of the f40 campaign group, which represents the poorest funded schools in England.