PARENTS of school pupils in Wharfedale and Aireborough are being urged to take part in a questionnaire about funding cuts.

MP Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West) is making the plea after his survey* of local primary school headteachers revealed widespread concern about financial pressures and staffing levels.

That study found that more than half of local schools had been forced to cut staff while others reported reduced spending on essential maintenance - and many said they had had to also cut back on extracurricular activities.

Mr Sobel said: “I’m asking for parents to fill in a short survey (four yes/no questions), the results of which I’ll take to the Department for Education.

“I receive a great deal of correspondence from parents who are worried about the impact education cuts are having on their child’s educational experience.

“This is a really important issue, so I want give people a chance to have their say and reflect a clear picture of their concerns to the Government.”

Parents in Leeds North West, which includes Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Bramhope and Yeadon, can fill out the survey at: https://alexsobel.co.uk/blog/ or call (0113) 898 0969 to ask for a postal copy.

A recent study, meanwhile, suggests that nearly a third of local authority secondary schools in England are unable to cover their costs.

The Education Policy Institute says its research shows that the proportion of schools with budgets ‘in the red’ has almost quadrupled in four years.

The Department for Education, however, says that more than 90 per cent of all types of state school are in surplus.

*All of the respondents to that survey said they had had to make cuts since 2015, with one stating that their school was at ‘breaking point’.