The amount of money spent per pupil in North Yorkshire secondary schools is one of the lowest in the country.

A survey carried for the GMB union found that North Yorkshire County Council was in the bottom ten of local authorities when it came to spending on pupils, with only £2,656 spent on each pupil per year.

The figure covers spending on teachers' pay, buildings and materials and shows a large variation in schools across the country.

The top spending authority in the country was the London borough of Islington, which spent £6,064 per year. The authority which spent the least was Norfolk with £2,206.

The range of spending per pupil in private schools was between £5,000 and £9,000 per year.

Justin Bowden, of the GMB, said of the survey: "It also shows the yawning gap between spending per pupil in the private sector.

"The Tory party are proposing that parents should be able to take the money spent on their children to a school of their choice.

"The Labour party seem to be suggesting that schools should break free from the Local Education Authorities. GMB members and parents will want to know how all these proposals are going to work out in practice.

"It will require detailed plans, not slogans, to provide a decent education for all our children."