CLASS sizes for youngsters in York primary and infant schools are set to drop sharply next year with the injection of almost £900,000 extra cash.

Nearly £150,000 of the extra money is to come directly from the Government, with City of York Council setting aside a further £750,000 extra for primary schools in its own education budget.

It means there will be an extra £60 for every single infant and primary school pupil in York next year.

At present, almost a third of infant and primary pupils in York are in classes of more than 30.

Much of the extra cash is likely to go into employing extra teachers to bring those class sizes down.

Welcoming the extra £150,000 of Government cash announced today, city education committee chair Coun Janet Looker said: "I'm thrilled to bits. It will add that little bit extra to what we're all trying to do."

York MP Hugh Bayley added: "This is great news, which will give hundreds of children a better start in life."

Announcement of the extra Government cash today came the morning after city education chiefs set their own budget last night.

If finally approved by full council, it will see a total of £1.5m extra for spending on education including £750,000 directly for primary schools.

A further £215,000 would go on raising standards, while £60,000 would go on nursery provision, £60,000 on learning centres for those over 16, and £20,000 to improve literacy among parents in Acomb and Kingsway North.

But the budget would also see cuts in 'support services' like lollipop ladies and the schools library service.

Overall, £635,000 would be trimmed from those, with £40,000 slashed off the schools maintenance budget, £40,000 taken out of reserves set aside for adult education, £5,000 trimmed from the budget for lollipop ladies and £18,000 cut from library service.

Coun Looker said last night education had been largely protected from the budget squeeze being felt by other council departments.

She said: "There has been a new deal for schools and an opportunity for York's education budget to grow. There is very real new money."

Liberal Democrat leader Peter Vaughan said: "There are a number of disagreeable, disappointing and in some areas very dangerous savings being made. For this authority to be seen to be scraping £5,000 at the expense of children's safety with a budget of £55m is pushing our luck."

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