Devon pupils have suffered from lack of funding

But this year's funding increase of 6.9% will lead to improvements in schools says Councillor Brian Berman.

Mr Berman chaired a Devon County Council group which found concern over the standard of school buildings and over staff redundancies.

"The settlement for schools was a little bit more than we had dared hoped for," he said.

"This will enable schools for example to allocate more money to buy more computers."

Outdated buildings

Despite the increase in funding, the government pays �185 less a year for each pupil in Devon than it does for children in the South East.

Schools questioned for the council study said financial pressures and falling pupil numbers were forcing them to make redundancies.

A new government policy ensuring teachers had time away from pupils was putting pressure on other staff and causing concern among parents about the quality of teaching.

Many schools also highlighted the pressures of unsuitable and outdated buildings.

Morale and pupil performance were also affected and some schools could not provide all the necessary facilities due to lack of space, and bad design was leading to higher bills for maintenance, cleaning and heating.