YORK schools are among the worst funded in England, new figures have revealed.

City of York Council, the local education authority, received only £3,270 per pupil from the Government last year.

Only four local education authorities (LEAs) fared worse - Leicestershire (£3,200 per pupil), South Gloucestershire (£3,220), Staffordshire (£3,260) and Warrington (£3,260).

East Riding of Yorkshire Council also did badly - being handed £3,330 per pupil from the Department for Education. This was the 11th lowest figure in England.

By comparison, top-funded LEAs, such as Tower Hamlets in London, scooped more than £5,500 per pupil - almost £3,000 more than York.

Department of Education officials released statistics showing the 20 LEAs with the highest and lowest funding per pupil aged three to 15 in the year to March 31.

Funding is calculated using a complex spending formula which takes into account a variety of factors, including poverty levels and schools' academic records.

Spending on staff pay, school buildings, equipment and other materials is covered by the cash.

Ministers insist they have pumped more cash into school coffers since Labour came to power in 1997, and they claim it is right for very deprived areas to get a bigger slice of money from the overall pot.

Coun Carol Runciman, City of York Council executive member for education, said recent school inspections showed the authority performing well, despite the "unfair settlements".

She told the Evening Press: "We are a very low-funded local education authority making the most of every penny we get."

Richard Hartle, the council's head of education finance, said: "Because of the low level of Government funding the council is currently topping up education funding in the city to the tune of nearly £4 million a year, the equivalent of 7.5 per cent on council tax bills."

Last month, Schools Minister David Miliband promised primary schools in England at least an extra five per cent in "per pupil" funding. Secondary schools will receive four per cent more.

The bottom 20 funded local education authorities with the figure per pupil are:

Leicestershire £3,200

South Gloucestershire £3,220

Warrington £3,260

Staffordshire £3,260

York £3,270

Worcestershire £3,270

Poole £3,270

Bath and North

East Somerset £3,310

Cheshire £3,310

Dorset £3,320

East Riding of Yorkshire £3,330

Stockport £3,330

Nottinghamshire £3,330

Suffolk £3,340

Dudley £3,340

Derbyshire £3,350

North Somerset £3,360

Gloucestershire £3,370

Solihull £3,370

Swindon £3,380

Updated: 11:54 Wednesday, August 04, 2004