An extra �28m is being pumped into schools in some parts of England after an outcry about the effects of funding changes.

A total of 36 local education authorities (LEAs) in England are to receive extra cash.

But head teachers say the threat of redundancy remains in some schools.

The Conservatives say the government's decision to put more money into some LEAs is a partial U-turn.

Four-day week

The extra cash comes after complaints from councils and schools that new funding arrangements had left them with large shortfalls.

Some schools had warned they would have to cut staff or even put schools onto a four-day week to stay within budget.

The biggest winners include Croydon (�1.3m increase), which had warned it might have to go to a four-day week, and Waltham Forest (�2.1m increase)

The increases are for the 36 authorities which received the lowest rises in education spending.

This partial U-turn should be accompanied by an apology from ministers for the cuts schools across the country are facing Damian Green, Shadow Education Secretary

School standards minister David Miliband said: "It is only right that the government listens to sensible representations about any major new system.

"We recognise that in some authorities the combination of a low increase in Education Formula Spending, coupled with reductions in grant through the Standards Fund, may result in lower than expected budgets for schools.

"That is why we will pay an additional grant to authorities to ensure that the funding increase for education - not just that distributed through the LEA formula - this year is a minimum of 3.2% per pupil."

Shadow Education Secretary Damian Green said schools would still be short of money.

"This partial U-turn should be accompanied by an apology from ministers for the cuts schools across the country are facing as a result of government dishonesty over this year's spending cuts.

"The extra cost to schools of National Insurance increases, the funding of the teachers' pension fund, and the teacher pay increases mean that thousands of schools will be worse off despite today's extra money.

"Every statement about spending increases ministers have made in the past month can now be regarded as inoperative. What a shambles."

Major budget problems

Head teachers had complained schools were struggling to retain staff under the new funding arrangements.

David Hart, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) welcomed the extra funding, but said redundancy notices were already going out in places like Bristol.

"A great deal more needs to be done to satisfy demands of schools across the country who feel strongly that their budgets are simply inadequate to meet all the demands placed upon them at the present time," he said.

"A significant number of schools are struggling with the budgets. We have got branch secretaries who are already receiving statutory redundancy notices."

John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) said: "SHA has worked constantly in recent weeks to bring home to ministers the gravity of the funding problems in many schools in the financial year 2003-04.

"With so many changes to the school funding system in a single year, schools in many LEAs are facing major budget problems.

"The extra funding announced today is welcome as a contribution to the situation in many, but by no means all, the worst affected LEAs."

The government is targeting money at authorities where the increase in general funding between 2002-03 and 2003-04 was less than 3.2% per pupil.

The grants announced mean all authorities have an increase of at least 3.2% per pupil.

Extra grants - who gets what

Grants in � millions

• Barking and Dagenham 1.128
• Bedfordshire 0.135
• Bexley 1.492
• Bournemouth 0.140
• Brighton and Hove 0.960
• Bromley 0.815
• Camden 1.168
• Croydon 1.302
• Dorset 0.318
• East Sussex 0.110
• Enfield 1.147
• Essex 1.162
• Hammersmith and Fulham 0.886
• Hampshire 0.278
• Haringey 1.330
• Havering 1.089
• Hertfordshire 1.000
• Isle of Wight Council 0.110
• Kensington and Chelsea 0.288
• Knowsley 0.736
• Lambeth 1.282
• Leicestershire 0.835
• Medway 1.295
• Norfolk 1.595
• North East Lincolnshire 0.033
• Plymouth 0.831
• Portsmouth 0.891
• Redbridge 0.903
• Richmond upon Thames 0.152
• Slough 0.376
• Southampton 1.016
• Southend 0.358
• Suffolk 0.108
• Sutton 0.503
• Thurrock 0.308
• Waltham Forest 2.140