DUDLEY'S MPs have welcomed new Government funding for education in the borough which will see schools share around £8.8million extra cash.

Primary and secondary schools across the borough are in line for extra funds as part of the Government's pledge to pump an additional £14bn into education over the next three years.

Schools in Stourbridge, Dudley North and Dudley South and Halesowen and Rowley Regis are collectively set to receive £233,440,022 for 2020/21 to help provide high standards throughout the school system and to help Dudley Council to ensure the best opportunities are being provided for young people.

Dudley North is set to receive £62,992,548 for 2020/21 which has been welcomed by the constituency's new Conservative MP Marco Longhi.

He said: "This welcome funding will provide children in Dudley North with high-quality creative and cultural education, including giving pupils the best chance to enjoy an active start in life.

“This funding commitment will ensure we are on target for every primary school to receive at least £4,000 per pupil and every secondary to receive at least £5,000 per pupil."

St James's Academy in Dudley will see the biggest rise in income. It will receive £6,368 per pupil - a rise of 9 per cent - while Pegasus Academy will receive £6,054 per pupil - an extra 8 per cent.

In Stourbridge, schools will receive £51,571,011 in 2020/21 - with Pedmore High School set to receive the highest rise per pupil.

The Grange Lane school will receive £5,725 per pupil - an extra 6.61 per cent per child - based on the Notional Funding Formula (NFF) for 2020-21.

The formula calculates funding allocations for schools based on pupil numbers and various pupil and school characteristics. The figures are notional because the NFF is currently in a transition phase and local authorities keep some flexibility in deciding the final allocations that schools actually receive.

Newly-elected Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb said the increase in funding "will be extremely beneficial to children and parents" and she added: "With an additional £8.8 million into schools in the borough this will help to ensure teachers have the necessary resources to provide a good level of education to Stourbridge pupils.

“I will work with my colleagues in the Department for Education to ensure Stourbridge schools are equipped to deliver the education young people deserve.

"Quality education sets up young people for life, and this level of funding has the potential impact to boost knowledge and creativity for when pupils enter the field of work, begin apprenticeships, or pursue higher education.”

Schools in Dudley South will receive £52,947,916 for the year ahead, with The Link Academy in Netherton set to receive the biggest rise (7.64 per cent) in the constituency, which will see £5,852 allocated per pupil.

Halesowen and Rowley Regis schools are on course to receive £65,928,547 for 2020/21, with Lutley Primary School in line for the biggest rise per pupil. The school will receive £3,750 per pupil - a rise of 6.7 per cent per child.

Councillor Sue Ridney, shadow cabinet member for children and young people at Dudley Council, met the news with caution, citing the cuts to education budgets over the past ten years.

She said: "I welcome any cash that's given to us, but I will wait till I see the cheque in the bank."

The councillor, who has served as a school governor for over 30 years, said she hopes the extra cash will be spent on employing more teachers and support staff in the borough.

Ian Cooper, who served as cabinet member for children and young people at Dudley Council between 2015 and 2017, said the funding was making up for a “lost decade” of education funding.

He said: “This is a drop in the ocean, schools are crying out for more funding. This is a just a gesture”

He added that the funding was playing “catch up” on previous education cuts.