MILLIONS of pounds of funding has been cut from East Lancashire schools in the past four years, a campaign’s figures claim.

The majority of primary and secondary schools have faced shortfalls and the amount of money being spent on each pupil has dropped by hundreds of pounds, according to analysis by the School Cuts Coalition.

The union-backed group's figures claim dozens of schools in Blackburn have lost large amounts from their annual budgets since 2015/16.

But the Department for Education and Rossendale and Darwen Tory MP Jake Berry said the campaign’s figures were ‘misleading’.

The School Cuts Coalition analysis says Witton Park Academy has lost £592,330 in four years, with Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School losing £402,444.

Other big losses include Blackburn Central High School losing £436,239 and Pleckgate High School missing out on £590,000.

Accrington Academy has an annual shortfall of £600,728, Accrington St Christopher’s CE High School has lost £359,594 and Mount Carmel RC High School has lost £416,794.

Dean Logan, Witton Park Academy’s headteacher, denies the school has experienced the shortfall stated by the analysis and has set a balanced budget for the next three years.

He said: “The challenge arises from increased costs for schools, such pensions.

“It is more challenging and a clear focus on savings is important.

“A greater challenge is recruitment, this is more likely to have an impact on standards.”

Nationally, the shortfall in funding has been £5.4billion in the past three years with 91 per cent of England’s schools affected. The coalition figures show the amount spent per pupil has decreased by several hundred pounds in some cases.

St Oswald’s RC Primary School in Accrington has lost £630 spending per pupil since 2015/16, St Peter’s CE Primary School also in the town has £538 less since the same year.

Blackburn Central High School is £421 worse off per pupil and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour RC Primary School in Blackburn has £488 less to spend per pupil.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of National Education Union, said: “This is an intolerable situation. Children and young people are being short-changed by a government that believes education can be run on a shoestring.”

But a DfE spokesman said: “We believe these figures are misleading.

“While we recognise that schools have faced budgeting challenges, this government has prioritised school funding, protecting the schools budget overall for five to 16-year- olds in real terms since 2010.

“School funding in England is at its highest ever level and since 2017 we have given every local authority in England more money for every pupil in every school.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council education boss Cllr Maureen Bateson called for a review of school funding to make up the shortfalls.

Blackburn with Darwen Council education boss Cllr Maureen Bateson said: “I know some schools have suffered directly from government cuts but not all. However, the money put into education by the government doesn’t cover rising costs such as staff salaries and the effect of inflation.

“The government needs to rethink its funding for schools and councils.”

Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry said: “This union-backed campaign from a discredited website is misleading parents with their dodgy figures.

“The independent United Kingdom Statistics Authority has criticised the coalition’s’ use of statistics saying that their figures risk giving a misleading impression of future changes in school budgets.

“Figures from Lancashire County Council show education spending in Lancashire is at it’s highest ever with the county’s schools’ budget for 2019/20 increasing from £917 million to £940 million.”

UNISON head of education Jon Richards said schools everywhere are “struggling” and ministers must act now or a generation of children will be “disastrously let down”.

The DfE spokesman added: “The Education Secretary has made clear he will back head teachers to have the resources they need to deliver a world-class education.”

Full breakdown of campaign’s figures for each school in Blackburn:

School name

Change in per pupil funding 2018/19 to 2015/16 (first figure)

Size of annual shortfall 2015/16 to 2018/19 (second figure

Ashleigh Primary School Primary -£109 £25,738

Audley Infant School Primary -£224 £70,733

Audley Junior School Primary £30 -£12,269

Avondale Primary School Primary -£279 £113,638

Belthorn Academy Primary School Primary -£279 £113,638

Blackburn Central High School Secondary -£492 £436,239

Blackburn St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Primary -£255 £106,141

Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary Primary -£297 £125,462

Brookhouse Primary School Primary -£421 £88,922

Cedars Primary School Primary -£372 £146,765

Daisyfield Primary School Primary -£45 £12,470

Darwen Aldridge Community Academy Secondary -£52 £69,521

Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio Secondary £76 -£12,405

Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy Primary -£15 £2,422

Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary -£143 £42,428

Darwen Vale High School Secondary -£4 £2,883

Darwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy Primary -£301 £55,987

Feniscowles Primary School Primary -£143 £58,991

Griffin Park Primary School Primary -£49 £10,329

Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School Primary -£310 £61,926

Holy Souls Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£188 £38,654

Holy Trinity VC School Primary £43 - £9,561

Intack Primary School Primary -£272 £89,032

Lammack Primary School Primary -£142 £69,004

Livesey Saint Francis' Church of England School Primary -£133 £26,504

Longshaw Community Junior School Primary -£23 £7,963

Longshaw Infant School Primary -£210 £52,410

Lower Darwen Primary School Primary -£157 £53,232

Meadowhead Infant School Primary £154 -£24,833

Meadowhead Junior School Primary £52 -£13,302

Our Lady and St John Catholic College Secondary -£189 £133,588

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£488 £92,812

Pleckgate High School Secondary -£555 £590,795

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School -£354 £386,613

Roe Lee Park Primary School Primary -£66 £23,650

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£179 £31,486

Shadsworth Infant School Primary £126 -£22,541

Shadsworth Junior School Primary -£156 £36,695

St Aidan's Primary School - A Church of England Academy Primary £245 -£42,870

St Alban's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£316 £60,629

St Anne's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£37 £7,550

St Antony's RC Primary School Primary -£255 £53,485

St Barnabas and St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary-£130 £46,316

St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn Secondary -£79 £82,050

St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School Primary -£399 £84,641

St Edward's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£130 £26,733

St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School Primary -£128 £27,043

St James' Church of England Primary School Primary -£222 £45,372

St James' Church of England Primary School Blackburn Primary -£273 £106,844

St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen Primary -£230 £30,595

St Luke and St Philips Church of England Primary School Primary -£212 £37,039

St Mary's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn Primary -£192 £39,667

St Matthew's Church of England Primary School Primary -£44 £12,065

St Michael With St John CofE Primary School Primary -£116 £41,315

St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School, -£259 £53,625

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School -£93 £38,738

St Silas's CofE Primary School Primary -£265 £108,872

St Stephen's Church of England Primary School Primary -£137 £57,519

St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School Primary -£871 £40,935

St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy Secondary -£173 £248,420

Sudell Primary School Primary -£188 £34,005

Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School Secondary -£405 £234,779

Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School Secondary -£523 £402,444

The Olive School Blackburn Primary Unavailable Unavailable

Turton Belmont Community Primary School Primary -£513 £48,183

Turton and Edgworth CofE/Methodist Controlled Primary School Primary -£120 £27,084

Wensley Fold CofE Primary Academy Primary -£503 £210,850

Witton Park Academy Secondary -£582 £592,330

READ > REVEALED: Best and worst GP surgeries in East Lancs

HYNDBURN

Hyndburn Accrington Academy -£523 £600,728

Accrington Benjamin Hargreaves Voluntary Aided CE Primary School -£142 £23,673

Accrington Huncoat Primary School -£91 £17,017

Accrington Hyndburn Park Primary School -£467 £207,644

Accrington Peel Park Primary School -£203 £124,559

Accrington Spring Hill Community Primary School -£458 £188,515

Accrington St Christopher's Church of England High School -£273 £359,594

Accrington St John with St Augustine Church of England Primary School-£342 £70,707

Accrington St Mary Magdalen's Church of England Primary School -£597 £122,377

Accrington Woodnook Primary School -£269 £52,526

Altham St James Church of England Primary School -£839 £52,868

Baxenden St John's Church of England Primary School -£234 £48,000

Church, St Nicholas Church of England Primary School -£269 £51,601

Clayton-le-Moors All Saints Church of England Primary School -£67 £17,741

Clayton-le-Moors Mount Pleasant Primary School -£269 £108,228

Great Harwood Primary School -£167 £26,909

Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School -£163 £33,346

Great Harwood St John's Church of England Primary School -£422 £62,091

Green Haworth Church of England Primary School -£584 £45,573

Haslingden Broadway Primary School -£313 £66,265

Haslingden High School and Sixth Form -£425 £670,363

Haslingden Primary School -£270 £112,234

Haslingden St James Church of England Primary School -£992 £170,630

Knuzden St Oswald's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School -£216 £42,832

Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn -£570 £416,794

Oswaldtwistle Hippings Methodist Voluntary Controlled Primary School -£63 £13,297

Oswaldtwistle Moor End Primary School -£170 £31,735

Oswaldtwistle St Andrew's Church of England Primary School -£267 £78,660

Oswaldtwistle St Paul's Church of England Primary School -£385 £55,778

Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School -£209 £43,533

Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School -£386 £221,063

Rishton Methodist Primary School -£201 £34,250

Rishton St Peter and St Paul's Church of England Primary School -£244 £45,900

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Church -£506 £101,173

St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington £13 -£3,568

St Charles' RC School -£57 £10,638

St Hubert's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood -£209 £33,663

St John's Stonefold CofE Primary School -£554 £72,073

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Clayton-le-Moors -£255 £29,844

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Haslingden -£412 £58,538

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Oswaldtwistle -£153 £39,868

St Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington -£630 £86,361

St Peter's CofE Primary School -£538 £101,753

St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood -£304 £52,674

The Hollins -£327 £261,676

The Hyndburn Academy -£284 £124,832