The leader of Hertfordshire County Council will press the Government for more money for schools struggling financially.

Headteachers across the county are already writing to parents to warn them that there may be fewer teachers and classroom assistants next term.

Some say school trips or additional activities may no longer be on offer. And in some cases subjects are being removed at GCSE or A-level.

Council leader Cllr David Williams told a meeting of Hertfordshire County Council on Tuesday that he would write to the Government, after Labour group leader Judi Billing highlighted the concerns in a motion.

“Now our secondary heads are crying out for help,” said Cllr Billing, who stressed she was proud of education in Hertfordshire. “And they are asking parents to help them.

“It’s not by accident that groups like Hitchin Parents Against School Cuts are being formed. They are being asked to in letters from school heads.

“Campaign groups are focusing on the need for supplies – but my worry is mostly been in the curriculum and learning for those with special educational needs.”

In her motion, she asked councillors to recognise that it was “vital that government rethinks its funding decisions and recognises that continuing austerity is simply unacceptable in our children’s education”.

Cllr Terry Douris, executive member for education, libraries and localism, said schools now had financial burdens that they might not have felt previously.

And while he recognised the Government had provided 1.5 per cent of extra funding per pupil, he said inflation was likely to exceed that level.

Cllr Williams said that he would write to the Secretary of State for Education and to the education minister.

And he called on council members to lobby their own MPs ahead of the upcoming Spending Review.

But he said it was important to recognise that the financial pressures were not felt equally by all schools in the county.

“There are financial challenges facing the education sector – but these challenges are  not uniform,” he said.

“We have had to work very hard with some schools. Equally we need to recognise a number of schools are sitting on resources that could be used.”

Cllr Williams said it was important to consider ways to become more financially efficient.

“I do think a number of primary schools across the rural community in Hertfordshire need to think about federation,” he said.

” And I think the formation of multi-academy trusts provides opportunity for effective financial management.

“The government has grasped the nettle of fairer funding. I do applaud that. It will take time for disparity in some areas to work through.”

Committing to write to the Government, he said: “Finally I am content to write to the Secretary of State and the education minister.

“We do need to recognise we are where we are and if further funding is going to be provided to the education sector, its going to happen in the Spending Review, which is fundamental to all areas of local government.”

Members of Hitchin Parents Against School Cuts, who were in the council chamber to hear the debate, welcome the agreement of the council.

Mother of four Kay Tart, who has three children at Purwell Primary School, said: “For the council to stand up and say they fuly support us is absolutely fantastic.

“It means our message is being listened to and that people are taking it seriously.”

Kay and fellow parents began the campaign after the headteacher at Purwell wrote to parents about the budget constraints the school was facing.

Since then they have worked hard to raise awareness and to lobby local MPs about the impact cuts are having in schools.