TEACHERS and families are urging that school funding stays at the top of the agenda as Britain heads to the polls next week.

Dozens turned out to protest against the Government’s national funding formula in glorious sunshine on Friday, May 26, as part of a national campaigning day for Fair Funding for All Schools.

Around 60 people enjoyed a picnic in the Carrs while listening to speeches from teachers, parents and youngsters on why the formula – which would see state schools in east Cheshire become the poorest-funded in England – needs a rethink.

Clare Daniel, headteacher at St Anne’s Fulshaw, told the Guardian she’s more optimistic ahead of the General Election – but the hard work isn’t over yet.

“All of the main parties have made education a core issue and within that, they’ve addressed the fact that funding for education has got to be reviewed and revisited, and there have to be some significant inputs into that to maintain the quality of education children get in this country,” she said.

“So I’m really glad that all of the main parties have taken that on board and addressed that.

“What we don’t want is any of the parties who come to power to start to renege on the promises they made in their manifestos.

“We can’t afford another national funding consultation which leads us to the same outcome that there isn’t enough money, it has to be resolved to protect the future of each child.”

Sam Rushworth, Labour’s election candidate for Tatton, is a parent to three children who attend the Wilmslow Academy.

He told the Guardian it was pleasing to see so many people turn out and lend their support so every child could have the opportunity of going to a ‘properly-funded’ school.

“At the moment our children benefit from having music lessons at school, enrichment activities and really good extracurricular activities,” he said.

“But if the Government cuts go ahead on the scale that its suggesting then primary schools are going to have to get rid of modern languages, they will have to get rid of music and drama and all the activities that enrich a child and give working class children the same opportunities you get at private schools.

“More than that it’s going to mean cutting teaching assistants or even teachers, so the class sizes are going to get bigger, children won’t get the same one-to-one attention, and they won’t get the same quality of education.

"We think it’s completely unnecessary to target our schools in this way.”