HEADTEACHERS say the government needs to listen to schools about how the funding crisis is hitting education hard.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies report into education spending predicts a 6.5 per cent real terms cut between 2015 and 2019 for schools.

The study also says 16 to 18 years education has been the "biggest loser" from education over the last 25 years and is set to fall further.

School leaders’ union NAHT and the National Governors’ Association have published an open letter to chancellor Philip Hammond calling for more money to be allocated to the education budget at the March Budget. They underline the "urgency of the school funding crisis", saying the "total size of the budget per pupil in state schools is not enough," and call for

"sufficient" funding commitments for schools and colleges.

The school cuts calculator shows that Dalton St Mary's CE Primary School has a predicted budget change of minus £76,702.

Lynda Woodburn, headteacher of the Coronation Drive primary school, said: "We work hard to balance the books. We constantly have to review resources and staffing. We still provide a high quality education for our children.

"In real terms schools are being hit hard. They are reducing services and schools have to procure those services. School nurses and special needs are clear examples.

"The government has to listen to schools. The government wants the standards that our children are entitled to, but to provide these standards schools need to be properly funded."

Barrow Sixth Form College merged with Furness College in August last year after the sixth form could no longer afford financially to be a standalone college.

Principal and chief executive of Furness College, Andrew Wren, said: “The funding for 16- and 17-year-olds in the further education sector, including in sixth form colleges, has been static for several years and is lower than that available for a pre-16 school pupil or an adult university student. In addition, funding for 18-year-olds has seen a reduction in recent years. As a sector, we have been calling for greater equality of funding between schools and colleges for a number of years.

“Despite the lower levels of funding, students at Furness College achieve excellent results with the value added score for level three students the best in the country last year and the pass rates on A-Level courses the best in the area, with over half of all students achieving A*, A and B grades. Furthermore, due to our excellent relationships with local employers who value us as a training partner and our diverse range of income streams, we remain in good financial health and have worked hard to retain this.

“As a merged college, we have now ensured the sixth form provision is financially stable and has a strong and positive future, and we have been able to invest in facilities and new IT resources for students at our Rating Lane campus. We are pleased to continue to be the first-choice education provider for school leavers in this area with a broad range of options for students – whether they want to go on to do academic or professional/technical qualifications.”