School funding aimed at poorer London boroughs

Spending per pupil is set to reach almost £7,000 in some parts of the capital by 2011 - and 19 of the top 20 best-funded authorities in England are in London.

Headteachers stressed that despite the increases, most London schools still only receive around £5,000 per head for their pupils. This leaves Prime Minister Gordon Brown far adrift from his target, declared in 2006, to "increase state school spending per pupil to that currently seen in the private sector".

Private schools currently spend around £8,000 per head on their pupils.

Meanwhile, critics pointed out that many of the boroughs receiving the most money are either Labour-run or have Labour MPs. There are at least eight ministers with constituencies in the capital whose local schools look set to benefit from the increases.

In areas such as Tower Hamlets, the local Labour council wants to prove that sticking with the party is better than choosing George Galloway's Respect party. The Bethnal Green and Bow MP will be fighting the neighbouring seat of Limehouse and Poplar at the next general election against London minister Jim Fitzpatrick.

Today's figures, from schools minister Jim Knight, show that across London spending per pupil is set to rise by around four per cent a year between 2008 and 2011.

More affluent outer London boroughs are losing out to inner London areas. Children in Tower Hamlets will receive the greatest funding, £6,792 per head by 2010-11, compared with those in suburban Bromley who will receive £4,311 per head. But the National Union of Teachers warned today that the extra cash would not be enough to stop the exodus of teachers to schools outside the capital, or avert the threat of industrial action over pay.

NUT leader Steve Sinnott said money needed to be diverted towards boosting teachers' pay, especially in the inner cities where spiralling house prices were driving staff out of their jobs. The union has pledged to ballot teachers on strike action over pay early this year. But the National Association of Head Teachers warned that earmarking the lion's share of the increases for pay would leave little money to be spent on improving standards.