Gloucestershire's headteachers are continuing to warn schools are being penalised for supporting pupils with special needs ahead of a debate on the county's education funding in Parliament next week.

MPs will take on the issue next Wednesday, a month after the county's schools averted a cut to their main pot of money to pay for a shortfall in Gloucestershire's special educational needs (SEN) budget.

Though in the end the government stepped in with extra cash to plug the shortfall, Julia Maunder, headteacher at Thomas Keble, thinks the government needs to change the way it allocates schools' money.

“There is an absolute need to revisit the national funding formula and the use of additional needs money,” she said.

“Under current arrangements, this money, intended for intervention and support for vulnerable children, is instead being diverted to top up the core curriculum per-pupil funding levels.

“In effect, this creates a two-tier education system where schools that support these additional needs are financially disadvantaged for doing so.”

The debate has been secured by Stroud MP David Drew. He is gathering views from teachers and parents here: bit.ly/2REtKWZ.

Archway's headteacher, Colin Belford, welcomed the debate.

He said: “David, along with other county MPs, has been hugely supportive of local schools dealing with the funding crisis."