PRIVATE schools across the region will not be getting any bail outs due to do problems caused by Covid-19.

Private schools such as Windermere School and Hunter Hall have taken a hit during the Covid-19 crisis, with pupils being told to stay away from the classroom for months on end.

Now the authority has moved to confirm that no private schools will be benefitting from state funding.

Assistant director for education and skills, Dan Barton, said state schools must come first.

He said: “Independent service providers like Wings in Milnthorpe and the Witherslack Group in Lupton near Kirkby Lonsdale, will by virtue of their own funding mechanism not be as badly hit as the state sector.”

He stressed no new money will come from the county for any special private education, adding: “These schools are able to raise their own fees and can fill the gaps from their own considerable reserves. With special education schools who are commissioned by us – we pay them a great deal of money already and they will be expected to find any extra money themselves.

“State Schools across our country will be finding that Covid-19 measures were a financial burden on them.”

Councillor Paul Turner, believes some schools may be losing out. He said: “How are we going to manage ‘None State-funded schools’ in the county.

“They are needing extra staff and extra teachers who are in some cases non teaching heads – now being thrown into a teaching role for the first time, and I can say that this is stressing for them.

“This along with extra costs on funding materials and extra cleaning will leave none state schools in Cumbria disadvantaged.”

A spokesman for independent school, Wings, explained: “We are a very small specialist educational setting.

“As we are small, we were fortunate that we were able to adapt relatively quickly and make the changes needed without significant additional costs required from Cumbria County Council, all of which will be met by us internally now.”