STAFF and students from Derwentside College met MPs in London yesterday as part of a drive to improve funding in higher education.

Principal David Houpt is heading the Bridging the Funding Gap campaign to close the ten per cent disparity between sixth forms and colleges.

Yesterday, Mr Houpt met politicians including North-East MPs Kevan Jones and Hilary Armstrong.

He said: "Closing the funding gap between school sixth forms and colleges would mean even better facilities in colleges and superior learning support.

"Derwentside College is taking part in the mass lobby because we also feel very strongly that adult learning should be protected.

"It is not fair that schools and universities should get priority funding."

Protestors highlighted the fact that colleges nationally have a central role to play in adult learning skills, as they are responsible for four million people in education and training after the age of 16.

The protestors were joined by employers, unions, education experts and a wide range of supporters including the Women's Institute, National Union of Students and Help the Aged.

A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said funding for further education was set to rise by £1bn.

He said: "We recognise that there is more to overall levels of funding than differences in funding rates and acknowledge that there are other differences between school and Further Education funding, although these are difficult to quantify.

"The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has said that funding reform will be an important strand of its agenda for change and it is important that the sector engages with the LSC in this debate as it moves forward."