EDUCATION Minister David Miliband is to look at rules which lead to schools in poorer parts of Worcestershire missing out on cash paid to every headteacher in neighbouring Birmingham.
The issue was raised with Mr Miliband by a delegation led by headteachers' forum boss Phil McTague, which visited Westminster yesterday.
Headteachers in Birmingham receive a leadership incentive grant of around £150,000 each - regardless of the area the school is in.
This is because, overall, Birmingham is considered an area with problems caused by poverty.
Problems
But schools in parts of Worcestershire with the same social problems miss out - because overall the county is considered better-off.
Mr Miliband told the delegation the cash was allocated to entire education authorities - rather than individual schools - to cut down on bureaucracy.
But he said he did not want to operate a system that was "not working properly" and he would see if changes were needed.
"It was a very productive meeting and while Mr Miliband did not agree with everything we said, he recognised the cumulative effect of Worcestershire failing to trigger the top ups," said Mr McTague.
The nine representatives, joined by MPs, also outlined the case for additional funding such as Education Action Zones, Pathfinder projects, Sure Start, Excellence Challenge and Behaviour and Attendance.
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