Kids in Merton are being given a leg up at school, if only slightly.

Spending per pupil in the borough has increased slightly in real terms, according to an analysis of figures from the Department for Education - bucking the national trend.

In 2018-19 the council will spend £7 more on each student than last year, after the figures are adjusted for inflation, which comes to a total of £4,814 per child.

A Merton Council spokeswoman said there was a very simple reason for the increase.

“Merton was able to increase its planned spend per pupil on individual school budgets from £4,704 in 2017/18 to £4,814 in 2018/19 due to additional Schools Block funding received through the National Funding Formula.”

But across the rest of London, the average per-pupil spend has fallen by 1%, or £51.

The annual schools' budget details how much each council plans to spend on education over the financial year.

The money comes directly from the Government in the form of a centralised grant - in Merton, the allocated budget for 2018-19 is £141.3 million.

The spending per pupil figure covers all the costs of education - from teacher salaries to textbooks.