By Joe Coshan

The chair of the Kent Association of Headteachers is calling on the Department for Education to act or risk the country’s schools offering 'third-world education.'

Alan Brookes has criticised Education Secretary Damien Hinds for refusing to meet with school heads to solve their cash crisis.

The Fulston Manor headteacher, based in Sittingbourne, was one of 7,000 headteachers across the country to send a letter home to parents explaining their funding issues.

He said: “Education is an investment it’s not a cost, if we invest in our young people and our education, then the country has a chance of success.

“If we cut it at source, we will head towards third-world status and it’s a dreadful way of looking at how we run a system.”

Mr Brookes is part of the headteachers campaign group ‘Worth Less?’, that have requested an urgent meeting with the Department for Education to discuss long-term spending.

Mr Brookes added: “We’ve tried very hard to engage the Secretary of State, but he’s turned down our invitations on two occasions, which suggests he doesn't really understand what’s going on.

“It would be really welcome for schools if they thought the DfE was fighting for schools and doing everything they could to battle the treasury for a decent share of money.

“Sometimes we feel as though they’re against education rather than for it and that’s depressing.”

A Department for Education spokesperson, said: “In the year that he has been in post the Education Secretary has secured an extra £400m of capital funding for schools from the Treasury, provided an additional £350m to local councils for high needs funding.

“He has been making a strong case for Education Spending across Government ahead of the next spending review.”

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