A TEACHER'S union, NASUWT, has raised concerns with Newport City Council over the little amount they spend per year on pupils in state schools.

According to NASUWT, Newport Council provides the lowest education funding per pupil in Wales.

This is while the council are continuing to fund the South East Wales Education Achievement Service (EAS), "a private advisory service that has had little impact on the achievement of pupils in Newport."

Though Newport City Council say the EAS is a vital component in the success of schools across the city.

Neil Butler, National Official for Wales, said: “According to a recent Welsh Government statistical release, no other local authority in Wales funds children lower than Newport.

"Delegated school expenditure per pupil is only £6,120. This is the lowest in Wales and an incredible £913 less per pupil than the highest funding local authorities.

"Just think what could be done with that extra funding.

"But the situation is worse in Newport because, not satisfied with being the lowest funder, the Council has decided to continue funding the EAS.

“Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been taken from Newport children in the past year alone to fund the EAS, yet there is no meaningful and measurable improvement in Newport schools since its inception."

The South East Wales Education Achievement Service (EAS) is a not-for-profit organisation owned by the five local authorities of the Gwent region, and the council say it is therefore not a private company.

A spokesperson for Newport Council said: "School improvement support is a statutory function that local authorities in Wales must carry out, in the same way that we provide support for school admissions and education welfare.

"The EAS function is to provide support to headteachers, school governors, teachers and support staff to achieve best outcomes for children and young people across the region.

"The service provided by the EAS is highly valued by the council and schools in Newport.

"A Newport headteacher group works in collaboration with the council to ensure that the work of the EAS is prioritised and remains relevant to the needs of school-based staff which impacts on the wellbeing and achievement of learners."

"Last year, schools in Newport received around £1.5m of from the EAS service to support cross-school improvement work.

"It is worth noting that the excellent work being done by Newport schools has been recognised in official inspections.

"Of 25 schools inspected by Estyn most recently, 11 were asked to provide best practice case studies – more than twice the Welsh average of 20 per cent – and the majority needed no follow up.

"We have no schools in special measures or that were found to need significant improvement.

"This is a testament to the collaborative working relationship between the council, our schools and the EAS.

"It should also be noted that the council is not the local authority with the lowest funding per pupil in Wales."

In recent months, the council has announced extra funding for secondary schools to relieve budgetary pressures, announced funding to prioritise the replacement of Caerleon Comprehensive School buildings and to kit out a new school being created in Llanwern.

The council assured they will continue to work with all Newport schools and partners to deliver the best possible outcomes for their pupils.