CONSERVATIVES have angrily denied schools will still face cuts and say their £4billion funding pledge will stave off any cash problems.

South Essex Conservative MPs joined an Echo campaign to prevent the Government’s new National Funding Formula slashing school budgets.

Under the plans, every school in Southend would have seen their budgets cut drastically.

Campaigners were jubilant when Theresa May announced an extra £4billion funding over the next four years, which she said would ensure no school would lose out.

Website Schoolcuts .com says it has used figures released by the Institute of Fiscal Studies to draw an interactive map on how party pledges will affect each area of the country.

The site, backed by three major unions, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the GMB and the National Union of Teachers, claims under Conservatives Southend schools would still have a 10 per cent cut in funding.

According to the site, Castle Point schools will find their budgets cut by 6 per cent and Rayleigh and Wickford 7 per cent.

In Basildon some schools are said to be looking at between 1 per cent and 14 per cent cuts to funding.

The NUT says the Conservative manifesto commitment will mean £1bn a year funding for schools would result in an £8.9 billion real terms cut, when taking into account inflation and growing pupil numbers, between now and 2021/22. The pledge is to be funded by cutting infant school free meals and other spending commitments.

The unions claim Labour’s £4.8billion funding pledge and the Liberal Democrats £2.2billion would protect schools from inflation.

Jerry Glazier, NUT general secretary Essex Secretary said: “Every parent and grandparent needs to know what the parties are really planning to invest in education.

“Candidates should be held to account for their parties’ stance to education. Without sufficient funds schools will be forced to reduce staffing, drop subjects from the curriculum, increase class sizes or offer less individual attention to pupils. I urge everyone to vote for education.”

James Duddridge, Conservative candidate for Rochford and Southend East dismissed the figures as incorrect and accused the unions of electioneering for Labour.

He said: “This is misinformation being put round by the unions. Theresa May couldn’t have been clearer when she said “no schools will lose out. There will be no cuts to funding.

“Labour are putting out their election literature but it is unequivocal - no school budget will be cut.”

Sir David Amess, Conservative candidate for Southend West said: “It was certainly not my understanding that schools/pupils would lose money in the way these figures have been presented. I have as a matter of urgency asked for clarification from the relevant department.”

The think tank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies claims school funding would fall by nearly 3 per cent by 2021 even with the additional £1bn a year, after adjusting for inflation and a rise in students enrolled.