AN MP has raised concerns about “completely unacceptable” budget cuts faced by the majority of struggling schools in Durham under the Government’s new funding formula.

Citing figures from the National Education Union, City of Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods said 33 out of 41 schools and academies in her constituency will receive a cut in funding over the period 2015/16 to 2018/19.

The MP claims schools in Durham will have, on average, £193 less per pupil in their budgets. Among the worst hit will be Bear Park Primary School which will have £1,052 less to spend per pupil, while pupils at Durham Johnston School face a cut of £93 each.

The MP said: “I know that many schools in my constituency are already struggling.

“Schools are experiencing larger class sizes, a reduction in activities, a decrease in the number of teachers and overall cuts to their budget.

“It is completely unacceptable that the majority of schools will be facing budget cuts.

“I am really concerned about the impact that will have on teachers and school staff generally, but I am also really worried about the impact this could have on the education of our young people in Durham because they deserve a great start in life, and the best education possible.

I am going to continue to press the Government and the Secretary of State for Education to reverse these cuts and give the schools in Durham the proper funding they need.”

Department for Education spokesperson said: “The unions’ figures are fundamentally misleading. They are based on historical data and do not reflect the situation in our schools today.

“They also ignore the fact that schools funding is driven by pupil numbers and, as pupil numbers rise, the amount of money schools receive will also increase.

“As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, overall schools funding is being protected at a national level in real terms per pupil over the next two years.

“At the same time, our historic improvement of the school funding system – backed by an additional £1.3bn of extra funding – will replace the current post-code lottery which saw huge differences in funding between similar schools in different parts of the country.

“Our new formula will allocate a cash increase of at least 1% per pupil to every school by 2019-20, with much higher gains for underfunded schools.”