Claims changes to school funding will leave Shropshire pupils worse off

However, Conservatives have disputed the figures, saying that the new funding formula means schools will get more than they would have done under the old system.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats under the Freedom of Information Act show that schools in the Telford & Wrekin area have seen a real-terms cut in funding of 4.36 per cent, equivalent to a reduction of £199 per pupil.

They show that the authority has seen by far the biggest cut to school funding in the West Midlands, with only four local authorities in the UK seeing their budgets cut by more.

It is in stark contrast to the neighbouring authorities of Wolverhampton and Worcestershire, which have both benefited from real-terms increases in year-on-year funding.

The Conservatives say the figures do not take into account extra funding which is available for pupils with differing needs.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said the formula guaranteed an increase in funding per pupil for every pupil in the country over the next two years.

However Councillor Lee Carter, Labour cabinet member for finance at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “The council continues to be extremely concerned about future government funding arrangements for all its services.”

The Liberal Democrat figures showed that in 2016/17 Telford & Wrekin Council received a funding allocation of £4,500 per pupil, putting it above average for the region.

However, this year the funding was cut by £126 a pupil to £4,374, a fall of 2.8 per cent. But once inflation is taken into account, each pupil was actually £199 worse off, a cut of 4.36 per cent.

Conservative MP for Telford Lucy Allan released a separate set of figures which show that schools in her Telford constituency will be 7.4 per cent better off next year, once extra money available through the formula is taken into account. Some schools will see their funding increase by more than 10 per cent she said.

She added: “The introduction of the new school funding formula is good news for Telford schools as they are set to benefit with increased funding well above the national average increase.

“School funding under the new formula is based on individual needs and characteristics of the schools. It tackles the inequalities that existed under the previous mechanism.

“The formula gives a significant boost for schools that are currently least well-funded and those schools with high numbers of pupils starting with low attainment. Using this new means of allocating funding, Telford schools will receive an increase in funding of 7.4 per cent, starting from April 2018.

“There has been a lot of inaccurate noise about school funding, but in Telford if we take time to look at the figures, we can see that this fairer funding formula is welcome news for our schools.”

The Liberal Democrat figures show that Shropshire Council also saw a real terms cut in funding, but a much smaller one.

This year, schools in the district were allocated £4,386 per pupil, a nominal increase of £25 on the previous year. However, when adjusted for inflation, it amounted to a 1.04 per cent cut of £46 per pupil.

By comparison, Wolverhampton has seen its funding rise by £105 per pupil to to £4,639, which amounts to an increase of 0.67 per cent once it is adjusted for inflation.

In July Education Secretary Justine Greening announced £1.3 billion in extra funding for schools over the next two years, alongside a commitment to deliver the national funding formula in 2018.

The new formula will see schools guaranteed a 0.5 per cent cash terms rise in their per pupil funding in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “Under the new formula every school will be able to gain, with secondary schools set to receive at least £4,800 per pupil by 2019-20.”

The National Education Union said the additional funding failed to cover previous cuts to school budgets.