A county’s children could be in with a bigger chance of a better education thanks to input from the Burton Mail.

The paper has launched a Quid for Kids campaign – asking readers to donate enough cash to take the Government to court for “discriminating” against Staffordshire schoolchildren.

Education experts claim that the county receives £34m less than the average and have joined with the Mail to fight for the extra cash, which they believe would bring smaller classes sizes, more teachers and better resources.

The Mail’s editor-in-chief, Paul Hazeldine, said: “This is a cause we feel very strongly about. It is scandalous that schools in similar counties receive much more funding.

“All children, wherever they live in the country, should be treated as equal and be entitled to the same standards of education.

“We are urging our readers to donate a quid to help pay for the legal costs of taking the Government to court, and all the way to the European Courts, if the need arises.”

A front page story and comment piece highlighted head girl Emily Skinner from Burton’s Paulet High School – which could be £250,000 better off a year.

The article said: “For years, Staffordshire has been under-funded by the Government. In fact, the county is the second-worst funded shire county in the country in terms of education.

“This is simply NOT good enough. Our children deserve better. Why should our schools be given less money than schools in other areas? It is an outrage.

“If Staffordshire LEA received the same Government allocation as the average for the rest of the country, it would be £34 million better off.

“Now teachers, governors and parents are fighting back and are preparing to take the Tony Blair and his Government to court for “deliberately discriminating” against its pupils.

“All the county’s 6,000 school governors are being asked to donate £1 to the legal fund to prove the case of discrimination. The Mail is also urging every parent to support the cause.”

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