AN £80,000 cash shortfall means Tavistock College will have to find the money from hard pressed buildings maintenance and equipment budgets.

This is despite the Government's promised increase in schools' funding.

The shortfall is mainly a result of Devon County Council's decision to fund just 3 per cent of the recent teachers' 4.2 per cent average pay settlement, leaving the college to find the remainder — about £60,000.

College principal, John Simes said: 'About 85 per cent of our budget goes on salaries, and money for books. Equipment and maintenance is very precious to us with such a large site.'

He said Gordon Brown's Direct Grant of £82,000 was destined to provide sixth-formers with a first-class private study facility.

'Now we have to use this money for the basics. If the Government ever stopped making this direct grant we would be in serious trouble financially.'

Governors discussed the matter at their recent meeting and said later that they discovered Devon had hidden other costs in the funding the college received for each student.

A total of £1846.78 is received for each Year 7 pupil — one of the lowest figures in the UK — and this has only increased by 3 per cent this year.

Instead of paying just for teaching, books and resources, this money is having to be used to pay for recurrent maintenance, Devon Music Service and the county's personnel and financial services as well. These are services that are essential and are charged to the college.

Chairman of the school governors Mark Braithwaite, said: 'The principal has the unanimous support of the college's governors. Together we are determined to see Devon keeps its word and fund its schools properly.'

Devon County Council spokesman David Hutchings said while it was true they had not funded the whole of the teachers' pay rise, the total increase was what the council had promised.

Three per cent had been set aside for the pay rise, but as the county had an older and more senior profile of teachers there had been more of a deficit than elsewhere.

'We are keen to work with our schools, and education director Tony Smith has already met with the Devon Association of Secondary Headteachers,' said Mr Hutchings.

Discussions between DASH and Devon's political leaders will start shortly in a bid to find a way forward.