WORRIED unions and Labour politicians have warned Wyre Forest schools could lose more than 100 teachers and see budgets slashed by millions as a result of Government funding proposals.

According to research by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the national funding formula set to be introduced in April 2018 will leave schools facing severe cuts by 2020.

Members of Wyre Forest Labour branded the potential loss of £4.3 million and 117 teachers from Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley a “disgrace” and accused MP Mark Garnier supporting policies detrimental to the district.

But Mr Garnier said he was still campaigning with the national F40 group to secure fairer funding for Wyre Forest and this work would continue.

Both the NUT and ATL have developed a website, www.schoolcuts.org.uk, outlining their concerns about the formula - which aims to ensure similar schools in different parts of the country receive the same level of funding per pupil.

They say, as a result of a freeze in per-pupil funding, factors such as inflation and increasing costs mean schools face real cuts to budgets.

Their website outlines the impact this could have on schools in Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley.

For example, Stourport High could lose £741,000 which is the equivalent of 17 teachers while Baxter College could see £331,000 budget cuts and Bewdley School £303,000 - the equivalent of eight teachers.

Stephen Brown, of Wyre Forest Labour, said: “Schools are already struggling with their finances. Budgets have been cut to the bone, class sizes have increased, subjects have been dropped from the curriculum and materials and resources are scarce.

“All this comes at a time of soaring pupil numbers and a developing crisis in teacher recruitment and retention.

"Schools in Wyre Forest are set to be hit hard by yet more Government cuts. Cuts that ironically Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier campaigned for in 2015/2016 under the guise of a fairer funding formula after getting local schools and parents to support him.

“He claims to stand up for Wyre Forest but the growing evidence is quite the opposite. I think those local schools and parents now have a right to be very angry.”

Mr Garnier said: “There’s an ongoing debate about schools funding and we are not at the close of it yet. I have been working for years with the F40 group to get fairer funding and we thought we had secured it. We are still working on this and hope to get results.”

He added: “I’m not sure Labour are in a very strong position on this. We have ring fenced education budgets whilst Labour have always said they wouldn’t.”