SOME high schools in East Lancashire will lose close to £600,000 between 2015 and 2020, according to claims made by a website.

There are 23 East Lancs schools featured on schoolcuts.org.uk and among the worst affected are St John Thursby in Burnley (£594,448), Marsden Heights in Brierfield (£585,392), Pleckgate School in Blackburn (£580,867), Haslingden High School (£563,947).

Organisers behind the website say they focus on 'per pupil funding' and also take into account predicted levels of inflation.

You can search how the website claims your school will be affected here:

The website was launched by six different teaching unions following a change in the way the Government is allocating money to schools.

A new 'national funding formula' has been brought in by the Government in an attempt to make school finances fairer across the country, but critics say some schools are losing out.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers 1.9 million more pupils are in good or outstanding schools than in 2010.

"As a result of our fairer formula, by 2020, core funding will rise to a record £43.5billion, the highest ever and 50 per cent more per pupil in real terms than in 2000.

"No school in Lancashire will attract less funding through the formula, in fact, schools in the area will attract an increase in funding of 2.8 per cent – equivalent to £19.9m – when the formula is implemented in full."

Mark Jackson, headteacher of Haslingden High School, believes budgets have been affected.

He said: "I haven’t seen any detailed analysis of the impact of the new funding formula.

"The second version of the formula has produced very different outcomes than the first.

"It does appear at first glance that schools serving more advantaged areas seem to fair better under this new formula.

"We are a big school and so our overall reduction in funding would be bigger than smaller schools hit in a similar way."

Graham Jones, MP for Hyndburn believes that £2.8billion has been cut from school budgets since 2015.

He said: "At St Christopher’s CE High School in Accrington their budget will have been slashed by £197,751. Oswaldtwistle’s Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School will have had their funding cut by £194,274, and Accrington Academy will have seen staggering cuts of £415,730.

"While our comprehensive schools reach breaking point under Conservative cuts, with thousands of teachers and school staff losing their jobs, it has just been announced that grammar schools will be given £50 million of government funding.

"These figures are shocking. The Tory government cuts have hit every school in the constituency, with some schools seeing their funding slashed significantly."

Kate Hollern, MP said: "My great concern with these figures are that children are being left behind as a result of schools receiving less and less help; with what is an increasingly difficult job facing teachers.

"Government figures show that, when inflation is taken into account, every region in the north of England has seen a fall in spending on services since 2012, and teacher recruitment targets have been missed for the fifth year running."

Julie Cooper MP for Burnley said: "Ever since becoming MP three years ago I have been raising concerns about the serious reduction in funding levels for schools in Burnley and Padiham.

"Funding has been cut at every level. I have visited nursery schools, primary and secondary schools and further education provision and the story is the same at them all."

Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson hit back at the stats.

He said: "The figures are misleading and wrong. The Government is investing more in our schools than ever before.

"Over the next two years alone, school funding will rise from almost £41billion a year to more than £43bilion a year.

"As confirmed by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), real school spending per pupil in 2019/20 will be more than 50 per cent higher than 2000/01.

"If you look at Marsden Heights, for example, when the website suggests a cut, it is true the new funding formula doesn’t benefit that school.

"But no school will see their funding cut so Marsden Heights will be getting a 1.5% increase by 2020."

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary, National Education Union, said: "Schools have been doing all they can to shield their pupils from the damage caused by £2.8billion being cut from school budgets since 2015, but the lack of investment is really biting.

"These cuts are now undeniably affecting front-line teaching and children's education.

"Schools are cutting back on teacher numbers and the pupil-to-teacher ratio is worsening.

"Subjects are being dropped from the curriculum, extra curricula activities and school trips are being dropped or vastly reduced.

"Many headteachers are having to send out letters pleading for parents and carers to support their school financially."