DEVON County Council is spending £140,000 this year training teachers to run a special literacy programme — but few of the courses are likely to run because schools are so short of money, teachers claimed this week.

The Reading Recovery scheme originated in New Zealand, along with the literacy programme. It was transplanted to the UK three years ago, where it has been very successful.

Devon Local Education Authority said it currently had 37 trained teachers working in 42 schools and more than 230 children have taken part in the scheme.

Devon special education needs advisor Victoria Jones described the scheme as an 'essential plank in the council's strategy for raising standards'.

'The scheme is carefully targeted at helping those children with greatest need,' she said. 'It has certainly proved to be very effective at raising levels of attainment to a point where children can return to their classes without extra support.'

Mrs Jones added that if they succeeded with these very young children, their educational and life opportunities could be transformed. It also meant expensive special education support later on could be reduced.

However, trained teachers in West Devon say there is not enough money to run the scheme.

Christine Berry, a teacher at Princetown, was in the first tranche of trainees.

She said: 'We don't do it any more because there's no money. They are training the teachers but they don't have the money to run the scheme.'

Mrs Berry explained that the course of one-to-one lessons was very intensive and time-consuming, and therefore expensive.

'The teachers have put in lot of effort and the results are really very good,' she said. 'It's really very unfortunate we can't continue.'

Mary-Jane Traber, the literacy coordinator at St Rumon's in Tavistock, is in the same boat.

'Unfortunately there's not enough money in the school to run the programme this year,' she said. 'Ideally, I'd like to run it again because it's so effective, and many of my colleagues feel the same. It seems such a waste — I'm trained and I'm willing.'

Mrs Jones admitted there were funding difficulties.

'We have funded schools for the first two years but are unable to find money for subsequent years. Some schools have managed, but many have had to drop out,' she said.

Mrs Jones explained the Government strategy was aimed at improving the literacy of the majority of children and also at funding 'catch-up' programmes to move up the next 15 per cent of the children.

'But that still leaves another five per cent who need one-to-one intervention,' she said.

'The Government have not said how that will be funded, and individual schools should not be expected to shoulder the burden. It's a cause we are fighting.'

Mrs Jones explained that money given to LEAs came with very strict rules on how it may be spent and much of it was targeted at under-performing schools.

However, Devon LEA has been able to put money into a small number of areas in the county, including the Holsworthy Academic Council, which comprises very small schools in Clawton, Broadwoodwidger, Highhampton and Halwill, where Angela Dixon has been running the reading recovery programme.

'We are hoping she will be able to continue at some level, but without outside support the schools can't do it and without Central Government support Devon can't fund it either,' she said.