Children across Burton and Uttoxeter will be excited that school ends for the summer this week, and there will now be six weeks of fun in what is shaping up to be an Indian summer. Paddling pools are being unpacked, and sun cream applied as we speak.

But there is good news for children, parents and schools alike this week when the Education Secretary Justine Greening announced a whopping increase in funding for schools.

She told parliament that by 2019-20, the money allocated for school funding will be £2.6billion higher than it is now, which is the biggest increase in funding for schools in well over a decade.

I know this will be welcome news to all schools across Burton and Uttoxeter, as I know there has been a number of concerns about the funding for schools and the difficulties with their budgets.

Thanks to the government every local Council will be in a position to give schools a cash increase in their funding, with the per pupil funding increasing as well through the new formula.

The final amounts that each council will be receiving will be announced in the autumn, but Staffordshire is set to benefit hugely. As an area that has historically received less school funding than other areas around the country.

I have long been campaigning for more money for our local schools and at last we should be in line for a big increase. During the recent election, some people attempted to scaremonger about cuts to school funding, but the reality, and the evidence of this announcement is very, very different.

As part of the funding changes, the money for children with additional needs will be protected, and there will also be more funding for PE and sport in schools, something that is very important if we want to see our children healthy and active.

Headteachers will also get the greatest ever say they have had in how the money their school receives should be spent. Heads are the ones who know best what their school needs, and it is right that they are given the power to make these important decisions that will benefit the children who are in their care.

We all want our children to get the best education possible and one of the Government’s key priorities has been to improve the standard of our schools.

It is great news that nine out of ten schools are now rated as Good or Outstanding by Ofsted and that 1.8million more children are now taught in a good school, thanks to the changes introduced by this government.

This is particularly thanks to the hard work of teachers, headteachers and governors, who have all done so much to improve their own schools.

We all want our education system to be the very best it can be, to give our children the best possible education and achieve as high as possible. This extra cash will help to continue to raise standards in schools and do more to give every child the best possible opportunities in life.

As the summer break begins, this is good news for teachers, parents and children alike.