NORTH Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has pledged to campaign for fairer rural school funding after meeting teachers and students near Oswestry on Friday.
Mrs Morgan visited The Corbet School in Baschurch, between Oswestry and Shrewsbury, this week where she spoke with teaching staff and saw the areas of the school in need of investment, including the large number of buildings that can be moved.
This comes after the MP’s recent survey of schools in the area, which asked headteachers to feedback on what challenges they are facing.
Mrs Morgan says the work carried out by teachers in schools such as The Corbet is being let down by the relevant investment.
She said: “Schools across Shropshire are doing fantastic work to provide a great education for children in what are often very challenging financial circumstances.
“It was good to visit the Corbet yesterday, to talk to the staff, tour the premises, and speak to some very impressive pupils.
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“A common theme arising from schools of all sizes across north Shropshire is how unfair the funding formula is to rural areas. We simply do not get the same spending per pupil that our urban counterparts do, and that’s not fair.
“I’ll be continuing to campaign in Parliament for a boost in rural school funding and to keep highlighting this inequity.”
The MP has also pledged to take on board views from educators and parents across north Shropshire and campaign in Parliament for fairer rural school funding.
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She added: “Attracting staff to rural areas is a problem faced by many parts of the public sector, with GP surgeries and dental practices across north Shropshire also struggling to recruit.”
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