West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper has welcomed the announcement by the Government that children in West Lancashire will benefit from increased funding for one-to-one tuition in state schools.

Indicative numbers show that West Lancashire schools may receive about £425,000 for the 2010/11 school year, which is about double that from the previous year. The funding will help to provide 10 hours of one-to-one tuition in English and maths for each pupil at primary school and in the early years of secondary school who are falling behind in literacy and numeracy.

Local West Lancashire resident and mother, Mary Whitby said: “I am so pleased that the Government is providing a further £5.5 million for one-to-one tuition. This is a subject I raised with the Prime Minister directly, when he visited my house in October 2009.

“If a child falls behind at 7 years of age then it is very difficult for them to progress in their education as it is difficult to catch up.

“This commitment by the Government in conjunction with free nursery places for 3 and 4 year olds, Sure Start and the Children's Centres has got to prove beneficial for children and families. It provides hope for parents that their children will have the skills in later life to get a good job and be financially secure.”

Rosie Cooper MP said: “Thanks to a record of Labour Government investment and the hard work of pupils, teachers and teaching assistants, more children in West Lancashire are leaving primary school having mastered the 3Rs than they were a decade ago. 

“But we want to do more to ensure that every child makes good progress. That’s why the Government is now ensuring that children who are falling behind at primary school or in the early years of secondary school get the extra help they need to catch up and get back on track.

“This extra funding will mean thousands of children across West Lancashire will get one-to-one tuition in English and maths. Parents rightly want their children to get the extra help they need, not be held back while their friends move on.”