Hertfordshire County Council has joined a national campaign calling for "fairer funding" in education.

Currently schools receive an allocation of funding – known as the 'dedicated schools grant' (DSG) – based on the number of pupils they have registered.

But the amount of funding per pupil varies between local authorities – with some receiving less than £7,000 per pupil and others receiving in excess of £11,000.

Currently the amount of DSG funding allocated to schools in Hertfordshire is £7,778 per pupil – the 26th lowest of all 151 local authorities.

And council sources say the DSG 'High Needs Block funding – used to support educational provision for children with special educational needs – is the third lowest in the country.

On Tuesday (June 18) – at a meeting of the council's education, libraries and lifelong learning cabinet panel – it emerged that the county council had now joined the F40 campaign.

According to the F40's own website, it seeks fairness and equal opportunities in education for all children – regardless of where they live.

It wants to see all schools "properly funded to enable them to provide a quality education that enables children and young people to reach their potential".

And it says basic funding should be enough to run a school before extra money is added on for any additional needs that are specific to a school or its pupils.

The county's decision to join the campaign – which is backed by 43 local authorities – emerged at the meeting, in response to a challenge by Liberal Democrat Cllr Lawrence Brass.

Cllr Brass had pointed to the 43 members of the F40 group – and 'wondered' why the county council not joined.

But in response executive member for education, libraries and lifelong learning Cllr Caroline Clapper confirmed that the council had now joined F40.

And she said it was a "good positive lobby group" that would lobby the right people about the funding that children in Hertfordshire "so rightly deserve".

Cllr Brass said that the council's decision to join the group was "better late than never".

But Cllr Clapper said that it had seemed to be the "appropriate time".

"We always said that if it was the right and the appropriate time then, you know, it's something that we would consider," she said.

"And now is the right time – so we have joined."