A MOTHER is urging residents to support the borough council’s attempt to improve school provision and back MP John Redwood’s campaign to increase pupil funding.

Kathryn Mitchell is one of a group of residents who have been working closely with Brian Grady, Wokingham Borough Council’s head of strategic development, to offer support from the community.

Mrs Mitchell, who was one of many parents whose child didn’t get accepted to their preferred school place, says residents need to halt their criticisms of the borough and do whatever they can to support it.

She said: “I think having clarity in their primary school strategy refresh is really important.

“The other part that is becoming increasingly important with all the schools in Wokingham is funding.

“People think all the funding comes from the council but it doesn’t, it comes from central government.

“We need to support John Redwood in his campaign to increase funding per pupil, which currently stands at £2,700.”

Wokingham Borough’s pupil funding is one of the lowest in the country, and has to be used to fund teachers’ salaries, exercise books, school equipment and more.

A number of Wokingham schools, such as Aldryngton Primary School in Earley, experienced a deficit this year, and have found it difficult to maintain high standards with the funds available.

In a letter sent out to parents of the Silverdale Road School, headteacher Elaine Stewart said: “The funding received has to cover all school expenditure – staff salaries, site running costs, materials, resources and all services used. Despite many meetings and budget plans, each cutting back further on our expenditure, we have not been able to balance the 2015-2016 school budget.”

Mrs Mitchell created a Facebook group called Earley Primary School Places For Earley Children, which she hopes other parents will join to discuss their views on the primary school situation in Wokingham Borough and particularly Earley, which she can relay to Mr Grady and the Children’s Services department at the borough council.

The 40-year-old said: “We want to help other parents to avoid going through this in the future. It’s (the Facebook group) because parents now will be starting to think about which schools they are going to apply for.”

John Redwood, Wokingham Borough’s MP, said he is grateful to the residents who are supporting his campaign, adding: “ I am putting the case to ministers in meetings and in parliament. They have agreed that places like Wokingham Borough don’t get as much money as they should and they have promised to do more in the future.”

Cllr Charlotte Haitham-Taylor, executive member for borough children’s services, said: “The short-term financial situation that our schools face remains challenging. The central government funding formula means that our pupils are some of the worst funded in the whole of the country. We need to continue to back our schools as best we can during these difficult times for the public finances.”