A MAJOR boost for school funding was announced earlier this week but one West Devon principal has warned that the ‘devil will be in the detail’.

On Monday, education secretary Justine Greening announced an extra £1.3-billion in funding for schools in England over two years — which was to be raised by cuts elsewhere in the wider education budget.

The news was welcomed by Tavistock College principal Sarah Jones but she said she was concerned over where the money was being taken from in the education budget.

‘This is very encouraging and all headteachers will be pleased with this. After two years of campaigning we are finally being heard,’ she said.

‘But where will the £1.3-billion be coming from? That’s my concern. It is vital to examine the detail thoroughly in real terms costs. We have rising pupil numbers and inflation costs like bills to contend with — the devil will be in the detail.

‘But this is positive news.’

The news comes after Mrs Jones met with West Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox on Friday (July 14) at Tavistock College to discuss the school’s budget.

Mr Cox, who welcomed the Government’s announ-cement of the boost for school funding, has campaigned for a fairer allocation for Devon’s schools, which, he says, have been ‘historically underfunded’.

In 2010, a Devon school child received approximately £390 less in government funding than the national average. In 2016/17, as a result of an investment of £16.4-million, that figure dropped to £270. However, rising costs have adversely affected school budgets despite the increased funding.

Mr Cox said: ‘I was pleased to be able to meet the principal, Sarah Jones, again and to discuss in detail the school’s budget. I was very impressed that the college had been able to ensure that front-line teaching had been protected despite the cost pressures it has faced over the last 12 months.

‘It is clear that the school has had to make savings and that recent increases such as in the living wage and the apprenticeship levy have eaten into its budget. I have persistently raised these cost pressures with the Government both prior to and since the general election and I am pleased that the Secretary of State has announced today that an additional £1.3-billion will be directed towards core pupil funding for secondary schools over the next two years in addition to the record amounts already promised under the proposed new National Funding Formula.

‘This is a major step forward in our campaign for fairer funding for Devon’s schools and will mean that our primary schools in Torridge and West Devon and secondary schools such as Tavistock College will see increased budgets and at the very least no real terms reductions in pupil funding. 

‘At the same time, it is important to recognise the achievements of our schools and teachers, who have ensured that since 2010, 1.8-million more children are now in good or outstanding schools according to Ofsted.’