EDUCATION councillors in York are to protest to the Government over an "arbitrary" budget handout to schools.

Gordon Brown's budget granted schools a one-off payment, calculated on the number of pupils they had.

Primaries with fewer than 100 pupils would get £3,000; those with 101 - 200 would get £6,000 and those with 201 and over, £9,000.

Secondaries with up to 600 pupils would get £30,000; those with 601 to 1,200 pupils would get £40,000 and those with more than 1,200 pupils, £50,000.

Special schools are to get £15,000.

Speaking at last night's education committee, Coun Ann Reid, who is a governors' chairwoman, said: "If we had this money to give out we might have split it differently.

"I feel quite cross at the way these grants have been given out.

"There are an awful lot of schools which have between 200 and 600 pupils who are going to get the same money.

"There are some primary schools that are as big as secondary schools and this looks unfair.

"If schools with 200 pupils should get £6,000 - shouldn't those with 400 get £12,000?"

She said that schools like Copmanthorpe Primary, which had just merged, and Yearsley Grove, which was about to, would also miss out on the extra cash they would have received if they were still infant and junior schools.

Michael Peters, director of educational services, said: "You need to take up these issues with the Department for Education and Employment.

"Some of it is fairly arbitrary and doesn't reflect some schools opening and closing."

Education chairwoman Coun Janet Looker agreed that the committee would write to the Government to pass on its views.

Meanwhile schools in York are to be asked how an extra payment of £150,000 from the Government should be shared out among them. The money was announced as a one-off grant last year.