THE former headteacher of Lavington School Martin Watson has written to all MPs in Wiltshire to raise fears about a funding crisis.

Mr Watson who retired from Lavington at Christmas, but is still chairman of the Wiltshire Association Of Secondary and Specials School Headteachers, is concerned that only Salisbury MP John Glen has replied.

Mr Watson said: "All schools are facing hidden cuts as the increases in employer contributions to pensions and national insurance, with no increase in schools budgets, mean schools have to cut expenditure on staff and resources.

"In authorities such as Wiltshire which are lower funded than most others, these cuts are even harder to manage."

In his letter he said that neighbouring counties such as Somerset and Gloucestershire are considerably better funded.

He wrote: "Although it has been said that funding for schools has been protected, this does not recognise the affect of increases in expenditure beyond the control of schools.

"For example, the one per cent pay increase for teachers last year will have added around £36 000 to a typical secondary school of 1,000 students, which spends around £3m on teachers' salaries including on-costs."

He said schools with sixth forms were particularly hard hit.

He wrote: "Those schools with sixth forms have had cuts in funding of around 20 per cent over the last five years, which has already required those schools to take radical measures. Often sixth forms have had to reduce course choices, increased class numbers or reduced curriculum time, or all three.

"For academies the reduction in the Education Services Grant reduces the income for a typical secondary by a further £53 000."

He is also worried that in 2015/16 schools will have to pay an increase in staffing costs when employers contribution to teachers' pension scheme go up by 2.3 per cent in 2015 and by 3.4 per cent in 2016.

He said that for a 1000 student school the increase in expenditure will be around £68 000 in 2015 and £97,000 in 2016.

He said: "There is no planned increase in income to offset these increased costs. Indeed, depending on who is in government after the next election, the funding per pupil in schools could decrease.

"For low funded authorities such as Wiltshire, these cuts add to an already tight budgetary situation."