SIGN on the dotted line — that is the urgent plea from Okehampton Primary School headteacher Brian Cunningham.

He is asking everyone to put their name on a petition campaigning for fair funding, which will be presented to 10 Downing Street later this month.

'We are funded below the national average for pupils. This is a huge injustice,' he said.

'This is why we want to encourage people in the local community to sign, because we want a big heap of petitions. This is a one-off

opportunity and we have to seize the moment. This will be our only chance for many years.'

The campaign was launched at a special protest meeting consisting of headteachers, governors and parents at Tiverton last Thursday.

Mr Cunningham is the official spokesman for the campaign.

'We are not asking for special treatment. All we want is a fair deal,' he said.

The campaigners say Devon is one of the worst funded education authorities in the country with average funding per pupil at £2,932 while the national average is £3,127.

'If we relocated this school to East Sussex we would have £134,000 more in our budget. That isn't right.'

Mr Cunningham said it could even be argued that it was more expensive funding education in Devon because of the number of small schools and the high cost of transport.

'Six per cent of Devon County Council's education budget is spent just on getting children to school because transport isn't fully funded. If it was we would get an extra £50 per child,' he said.

'Historically, local education authorities in London and the South East have been given more Government funding because the cost of living was judged to be higher.

'But it costs roughly the same to employ a teacher anywhere in the country because of the national pay scales. Books and equipment cost the same. So do most of the running costs of a school.'

He said Devon, which had some of the lowest wages in the nation, was being penalised to benefit the well-off South East.

'It has been called Robin Hood in reverse, and it is time for us to be treated fairly.'

Mr Cunningham said the campaign already had widespread backing from the Devon Association of Primary Heads, the Devon Association of Secondary Heads, the Special School Heads' Association, the Devon Association of Governors and the Devon Parent-Teacher Association.

He said all the pupils' families would be getting copies of the petition. There would also be copies in the health centre.

'People can come to the school to sign it,' said Mr Cunningham.

'We are really looking to get Devon's voice heard for the sake of all our children. We are not looking to be treated as a special case — we are just asking for the money to be distributed fairly.'

The petitions must be signed and returned to the school by July 12.

Mr Cunningham said a deputation of 16 campaigners would then present the petitions to 10 Downing Street on July 16.

'We are providing schools with helium campaign balloons to be released at 3pm on the day so they can symbolically join in with the presentation of the petition.'