MORE than 500 campaigners marched through a town calling for action to help schools facing a “funding crisis”.

Parents, schoolchildren, teachers and union representatives took to streets of Worthing on Saturday afternoon holding banners to demand that the Government provides adequate levels of funding for schools across the county.

Jules White, headteacher of Tanbridge House school in Horsham and leader of the Worthless? campaign spoke at the beginning of the rally to highlight that schools in West Sussex receive 70 per cent less funding than schools in some areas of London.

Mr White said: “I don’t want London schools to have less, I want West Sussex schools to have more. The school funding crisis is not a myth, it’s why we are all here.”

The campaign group argue it is not fair that schools in West Sussex are facing nearly a £9 million deficit in funding as a result of rising costs and inflation levels.

Parent and SOS campaigner Mel Pickett said: “Hundreds of families from across West Sussex have come down to send a loud and clear message.

“There is a funding crisis taking hold in our schools right here right now and we are calling on the Government to adequately fund schools and give our children the education they deserve.”

The march started at Steyne Gardens in the town at 2pm and ended on the seafront, with campaigners also carrying whistles and drums during the rally.

The protest not only coincided with the National Education Union’s weekend of action but also with the run up to the local elections.

Zoe Barton, president of West Sussex NEU/NUT Section, said: “The government is using money to fund free schools and other vanity projects while schools in areas like West Sussex are facing nearly £9million in cuts.

“The costs facing schools to implement things like the new GCSE and A levels are coming at the same time as increasing class sizes and falling teacher numbers, so maintaining the high standards of education our children deserve is unsustainable.”

John Gadd, headteacher at Thomas A Becket School in Worthing, said: “We’ve got to continue to stand up for what is fair and right.

“Our children’s’ education is being short-changed, their life chances short-changed and our country’s future short-changed.

“The number of people here today shows the strength of feeling and by working together we’ll get our voices heard.”

Campaigners hope local politicians and MPs will take heed of their call for action and put pressure on the Government to make changes.