Governors at Thornton Grammar School claim it will be forced to have larger classes and fewer books next year.

They have now sent a strongly-worded letter to Bradford Council and the Education Secretary David Blunkett.

The school claims it will be eight teachers short of an additional 25 needed when it takes on 480 extra children who will begin classes in September 2000 following the schools' reorganisation. But Bradford Council Education Committee chairman Councillor Jim Flood said the school would get the same funding treatment as all other schools because of the Government's ending of the grant-maintained schools system.

Thornton Grammar School governors claim the inadequate budget allocated by the Council will lead to significantly larger class sizes, fewer books and materials, fewer option choices for GCSE and A levels, and fewer teaching staff per student.

The letter says: "We are very concerned about the critical state of funding of Bradford schools. We believe that both Bradford Council and the education authority are not fulfilling their duty to adequately fund education, particularly in the secondary sector.

"We believe that the explanations given by the education authority in response to criticism of this state of affairs are invalid.

"Bradford Council states that 'money is going into schools by other means'. The effect on our budget is that from April 2000 we will be required to run the school with a deficit budget and eight fewer staff than we deem essential to deliver an adequate curriculum.

"This school has shown its commitment and ability to raise standards and we are committed to raising standards and achievement further but this is jeopardised if we do not have a fair deal for our schools and pupils."

Vice-chairman of governors Clive Richardson, who is also a Conservative councillor for Thornton, said there would only be enough money for 17 extra staff because Bradford Council was withholding money.

"The curriculum base will be smaller, there will be fewer teachers and larger class sizes because the Council won't let us have the money even though the whole purpose of reorganisation was to improve standards," he said.

Councillor Jim Flood, the chairman of Bradford's education committee, said: "As a grant-maintained school, Thornton has been financially insulated for years. From next year all schools will be funded on the same basis. That is a decision by the Government, not the Council, but it is the only fair way."

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