Pupils in Wales have about Pounds 500 less spent on them than their English counterparts, Welsh Assembly government figures confirmed this week. The average per-pupil spend by Welsh local authorities in 2008-09 was Pounds 5,192, Pounds 496 less than in England. The figures confirm the findings of David Reynolds, professor of education at Plymouth University, in research commissioned by TES Cymru last year. Teaching unions expressed concern over the 9.6 per cent funding gap, which has grown steadily since devolution in 1999.
