Desperate headteachers petitioned Tony Blair at Downing Street yesterday (April 30) in a last-ditch attempt to solve the school funding crisis in Barnet.

Parents, governors and councillors joined more than 75 headteachers to present the Prime Minister a petition bearing around 18,000 signatures, from at least 90 schools.

Headteachers estimate a shortfall of £8million for Barnet's schools and are anticipating dozens of staff redundancies. Some schools face debts of up to £450,000.

Leader of the Opposition Iain Duncan Smith told the protesters the pressure they were placing on Tony Blair would make a difference. "This is going to roll and roll," he said. "The settlement in London is very poor because London doesn't have any local elections this year and so it doesn't really matter.

"It is a desperate problem and the Government seems simply to ignore it. We need to make sure we get teachers and keep them there. It doesn't matter how good the buildings are, we will have bad results for the children without that."

Organiser Sheila Abbott, headteacher of Brookland Infants School in Hill Top, Hampstead Garden Suburb, said: "We are hoping Tony Blair will look at the whole situation again and see if something can be done for this year. If not, something has to happen for next year, because we cannot sustain these shortfalls."

The march came a week after School Standards Minister David Miliband told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers that £500m of this year's schools' funding was still with local education authorities (LEAs).

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) will tomorrow publish figures expected to show that one-fifth of the country's 90 LEAs have retained more than £5m and half have more than £2m yet to be allocated.

The Government gave £148m to Barnet schools this year. Of this, the council allocated £147m, plus an additional £576,000 it received, on appeal, from the DfES.

Labour education spokeswoman Alison Moore said: "It is total hypocrisy for Councillor Lynne Hillan cabinet member for education to stumble up Downing Street when she has denied our schools £1m."

But yesterday's protesters believed the Government was to blame for the £500m shortfall. "We do not have any reason to believe Barnet Council is withholding money," said Mrs Abbott.

April 30, 2003 18:30