A teacher in Birmingham has spent �15,000 of his own money to save a classroom.

Alistair Findlay, head of mathematics at Topcliffe Junior and Infant School, has ensured that there will be a classroom for special needs pupils.

The primary school faced the loss of a dedicated area for special needs pupils, but Mr Findlay has now paid for an extension to be built for pupils with language difficulties.

This extension will provide facilities for 10 pupils with special needs aged between five and seven.

Headteacher Lauren Gibbons said that Mr Findlay, who has declined to comment, was "highly embarrassed" by the publicity following his donation.

'Act of goodwill'

And a statement from the local education authority welcomed this "generous act of goodwill" which allowed the school to keep this special needs facility in-house.

But the Conservative spokesman on schools, James Clappison, expressed his concern that "teachers are having to dig into their own pockets to keep their classrooms open".

"This case highlights the fact that despite the government's announcements of new money, the cash is not getting through to the schools which need it most," said Mr Clappison.

There have been claims in the past that teachers regularly subsidise schools, using their own money to buy books and classroom resources.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers has estimated that staff provide materials worth �5m a year.

In a survey, the union found that more than half of primary school spent their own money on resources for teaching reading and writing.

According to the survey, the annual average spending on classroom materials is �28.50, with almost a quarter of teachers claiming to have spent over �50.