HEADTEACHERS at four Keighley-district schools are part of a group urging MPs to lobby ministers as budgets are "stretched beyond breaking point".

The Two Valleys Learning Collaborative claims more jobs in local schools will be lost and children will miss out unless urgent action is taken to provide more money in next month's Budget and revisions made to the proposed National Funding Formula for Schools.

The collaborative includes Steeton Primary School, Aire View Infant School and Hothfield Junior School at Silsden and Eastburn Junior & Infant School.

Chairman Andrew Soutar said: "We feel it is important that we make it clear that difficult choices will have to be made, resulting in what we offer to children not being the best that it can be."

The letter, which has been sent to Keighley MP Kris Hopkins and Shipley MP Philip Davies, says: "Last year we had to take drastic steps in our budgets which involved reducing staffing through not recruiting when staff left and having to make staff redundant, we appear to be in similar situations again.

"As school leaders, our moral purpose is to provide every child and family with the best education that is possible. As you walk around any of our schools you see dedicated professionals who want to make a difference for every child and provide them with skills that will help them in their future lives. We aspire to have a world leading education system and it is right that we do. However, we fail to understand how we can deliver this if the country does not fund it properly. There are huge financial pressures on our country, but we neglect the future of our country at our peril."

The letter criticises a reduction in High Needs Provision funding and the proposed National Funding Formula for Schools, which indicates that all schools in the constituency "will lose a significant amount of funding".

The letter adds: "Combined with increasing employment costs and other charges, this will mean that we will face severe budgetary pressure resulting in losing staff, delaying purchasing of resources and sleepless nights for the people having to make the choices which culminate in providing a learning opportunity for every child which is not as good as it could be.

"Our vision as headteachers is that every child deserves the best education and opportunities that we can provide. All we ask is that we are given the funding to do the job.

"We ask you, as a matter of urgency, to write to the Chancellor Philip Hammond to call on him to provide more money for our schools in the Budget. We would also like you to contact Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening and ask her to revise the National Funding Formula so that Keighley and Ilkley schools do not lose out and that sufficient resources are given to the formula for it to succeed."

Mr Hopkins says he has written to both the Chancellor and Education Secretary seeking their responses to the points raised.

He added: "As a father myself, I do fully appreciate that parents and teachers want children to receive the best possible start in life by being able to achieve in the classroom, and this costs money. The National Funding Formula proposals seek to end the postcode lottery and ensure that every child’s education is funded properly. But is important that the Government gets the details right. I look forward to the ministers’ replies."

Mr Davies said: "I have received the letter and already taken up their concerns with the Chancellor and the Education Secretary of State and will send them the responses I receive as soon as I have them."