THE Government's plans to spend an extra £1.3b on schools has been described as 'putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound' by a headteacher from Bradford on Avon.

St Laurence headteacher Fergus Stewart said that Education Secretary Justine Greening's plans to give more money to local authority schools in 2018/19 does not go nearly far enough.

Although Mr Stewart welcomed the 0.5 per cent increase in funding for every pupil, which will be £4,800, the rise in school numbers and costs are shooting up faster than the income schools receive.

"We have made this school as efficient as we can but this is like putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound. It sounds a lot but when you divide it up it is not much," he said.

"To have a 0.5 per cent increase in per pupil funding is not significant. Other places have had a three per cent rise but that is still not enough. These plans do not recognise that the gap between income and costs is getting wider and putting schools under more pressure.

"I regret to even say that but this is not nearly enough. I hope this is the first of many steps to address this huge issue. If there is fair funding, it needs to be divided up better, but Wiltshire schools are not seeing that.

"Of course I welcome a rise in funding but the amount of funding Wiltshire schools receive is in the bottom 10 in the country, thousands less than what other schools get on average.

"I think we have not seen the specific details about Wiltshire or St Laurence or other schools. It remains to be seen what this will mean in practice. I am very concerned about what this means over the next few years."

The Government says the £1.3 billion, which has been funded by 'efficiencies and savings' in the Department for Education’s budget, will deliver the biggest boost to the school funding system for more than a decade.

Headteacher of Clarendon Academy in Trowbridge, Mark Stenton, said: "We are glad that the Department of Education has listened to schools' concerns but schools across the country have faced cuts in recent years. The costs and numbers are higher than before and that needs to be addressed."

MP for Bradford on Avon and Melksham, Michelle Donelan, added: "I welcome this encouraging news. I will try to fight for more and push the treasury to get more money into Wiltshire schools.

"I will meet now with head teachers to get their thoughts on this, listen to their concerns and then try and get the fairest and best outcome for schools and their pupils."