A PETITION to stop funding cuts to Southend grammar schools was signed by more than 1,000 people in 24 hours.

The borough’s four grammars face a funding crisis, with Southend High School for Boys struggling to balance the books with a £250,000 budget deficit.

Pupils past and present from the school, Southend High for Girls, Westcliff High for Boys and Westcliff High for Girls have joined forces to save the schools.

The petition says the schools will not be able to cover the costs of all their lessons in the next few years, due to loss in Government funding, according to budget forecasts.

The online petition adds: “This means young adults of high academic ambition and excellence from all backgrounds are having their education negatively affected.

“These four schools, aswell as many other successful schools around the country, have long accepted a lower rate of funding because of their grammar school status. All schools have regularly received “outstanding”

Ofsted reports and this success is in jeopardy.”

Dr Robin Bevan, headteacher of Southend High for Boys, said it has had its sixth form funding cut by £200,000 as costs have spiralled by £250,000.

He said: “We are looking for recognition that the schools getting a lower level of income are under the greatest pressure.

“Looking ahead, if there is no change to our current funding we will have a deficit of a quarter of a million next year and it will really hit us the year after that. Unless there is a change, we will not be able to pay staff wages in 2016/17.”

Schools have introduced costcutting measures, including reducing teaching time for sixth formers, increasing class sizes and rationing use of facilities, including computer printers.

Sir David Amess, MP for Southend West, is supporting the petition.

He told Parliament it was an “absolute disgrace” how little funding Southend’s grammar schools received.

He is circulating a handwritten version of the petition, with the hope it can be presented to the Commons.

To sign the petition, visit https://you.38degrees.org.uk and search for “grammar schools in Southend’’.

FORMER grammar school pupils started the petition yesterday morning.

Mitchell Smith, 21, a former student of Southend High for Boys, is among the organisers.

He said: “It has already more than 1,000 signatures in under 24 hours, so clearly there are many people who feel strongly about this. This is important because it’s another example of the Government reducing funding in some of our most important public services.

“Whether it be athletically, academically or socially, these schools excel on a tight budget and regardless of a person’s background. There are pupils from all types of backgrounds at the school and it encourages excellence from all of them.”

Mr Smith is now studying in America. He started the petition with fellow Old Southendians because he was unable to sign Sir David’s handwritten version because he was out of the country.

Mr Smith said the school “allowed me to focus on education and gave me the tools to succeed. I became a better student, athlete and person. The PE department is one of the best in the country and Southend High allowed me to reach a level I may not otherwise have reached. I am now attending university, as are many other of the guys involved. I didn’t come from a strongly affluent background, so this school was vital for me to reach my full potential.

“The schools get into the top 100 schools regularly for all sorts of reasons. They contribute massively to British school levels overall. More funding allows more pupils from every background to attend and excel.”

THE grammar schools receive less than £5,000 per pupil.

Southend High for Boys has faced a 20 per cent cut in Government funding over three years and an extra £120,000 to be paid in National Insurance contributions.

The amount the school pays into the teachers’ pension scheme has also increased, with no additional funding.

Utility bills have also risen.

Part of the funding each school receives from Whitehall is based on pupils’ social background, with schools teaching children from deprived homes getting more, with some given as much as £7,500 per pupil.

With 5 per cent of pupils from deprived backgrounds, Southend High for Boys receives £4,503 per pupil.

Westcliff High for Girls receives the lowest funding per pupil at £4,449 and Westcliff High for Boys £4,503 per pupil.

Southend High for Girls receives the most out of the grammar schools, with £4,540 per pupil.