Businessman backs Sheffield school funding campaign

Ian Chester, the director of South Yorkshire home improvements company Yorkshire Windows, joined the #FairFundSheffieldSchools campaign because he believes every child has the right to the best educational start in life.

More than 8,000 people have signed online petition launched by The Star and Sheffield Telegraph calling on the Government to redress to funding situation in Sheffield.

Headteachers have warned of a growing crisis in Sheffield which could see staff losing their jobs, class sizes increased and schools cutting down to four-and-a-half weeks.

The Government's new national funding formula, aimed at redistributing funding to historically underfunded areas, helps the situation a little and will lead to an overall increase in funding for Sheffield by 2020/21.

But headteachers are struggling to balance their budgets over the next few years.

Mr Chester said: 'A decent education, the same for everybody regardless of where you live, is an absolute right for every child in Britain today.

'The simple basics of both maths and English are the things that all opportunities in future life are made of.

'It would be impossible without those essential tools to work in an industry like ours.

'From sales people to fitters, all our team has benefited from a good educational start in life and it is so important that Sheffield's next generation should not miss out because of a funding issue.

'It is vital for our children and our grandchildren that everybody should get behind this campaign and and ensure a fair start for every young person because they are the future of this country.'

The Department for Education said that schools in the city will attract an increase in funding of 6.6 per cent - equivalent to £20.4 million - when the NFF is implemented in full by 2020/21.

To sign the petition visit the online fundraising campaign page.