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Parents and pupils gathered in over 300 school playgrounds nationwide in a stand against Tory cuts that have left schools at breaking point.

Families in Brighton, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Cumbria had banners demanding years of austerity be reversed.

Save Our Schools, the parent group behind yesterday’s demos, said spending cuts of 8% per child since 2009 had led to buildings “crumbling”, teachers losing their jobs and subjects “vanishing”.

Meanwhile, 250 schools have had to start closing early on Fridays in a bid to make their budgets stretch.

The group said a funding boost of £7.1billion by 2022-23, announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson , would not even restore funding to 2010 levels.

Analysis by unions, including the NEU, shows over 80% of schools will have less cash per pupil in real terms in 2020 than in 2015.

Brighton mum-of-two Nadia Abdo, 42, protested at Hertford Infants, which her kids Ava, 5 and Aiden, 8, attend.

She said: “We can see there isn’t enough funding. Schools have and continue to be chronically underfunded.

“I’m on the PTA. We want to spend the money we get on exciting things to support the children’s learning.

"More and more we are having to use the money for maintenance repairs.

(Image: Nigel Bowles)

“Parents are increasingly being asked to donate money to cover costs. Parents want to support the school but not everyone can afford to. It’s putting children’s futures at risk”.

Frasier Cox, 12, a secondary school pupil in the city who has Asperger syndrome, said he feared support staff vital to him would be axed.

He said: “Schools aren’t places to do tests and then go home.

"Schools are places to learn, make friends, and learn to be a better person and to have support when you need it - to have someone there for you.

“This isn’t something to be meddled with. The Government can’t play with our futures.”

Mum-of-two Helen Collier, from Birmingham, called the cuts a “national disgrace”.

Her children Ben, 10 and David, 7 attend Kings Heath Primary, one of the schools now closing early on a Friday.

And Clem Coady, head of Stoneraise School, Carlisle, said resources had been “decimated” and the PM’s cash pledge would be “too late for this generation”.

Alison Ali of Save Our Schools comments, “Our message is simple: don’t believe the hype.

"Buildings are still crumbling, teachers and support staff are still losing their jobs and subjects are still vanishing.

"Many schools are now closing early on Friday afternoons to meet their budgets. And who is suffering the most in all of this? Our children.

"They’re not receiving the education they deserve while the government makes empty ‘jam tomorrow’ promises.”