A SIX-YEAR-OLD has written to the Prime Minister to plead for school funding so a beloved singing teacher can remain in post.

Otis Carter wrote the letter yesterday, upon learning that freelancer Al Start would not be returning to work at Elm Grove primary school in Brighton after this half term.

Otis’s mother Deb Friis, 43, told The Argus her son was so upset on hearing the news that after a conversation about politics he decided to write to the Prime Minster.

In his letter to Theresa May, Otis wrote: “I am writing to you about my lovely singing teacher called Al. She sings with us every Wednesday.

“For example she has taught us the Creepy Castle, Let’s Harvest, and September 1666.

“September 1666 Al wrote especially because we were learning about the Great Fire Of London.”

“But she can’t teach us any more because our school can’t afford to pay her. She has taught at our school one day a week for the last nine years.”

“If we lose Al who are we going to lose next! Please do not take away money from our school!

“Yours sincerely, Otis, age 6.”

Ms Friis, who works as a maths teacher at St Pauls secondary school in Burgess Hill, said: “They told the children last Wednesday and Otis was crying when he walked home.

“We talked about politics and he’s very aware of what’s going on and he said ‘I’m going to write to Theresa May’.

“He came up with the words and we helped him with the spelling.”

Ms Start, who runs gokidmusic.com, said: “I was really touched. I know that the singing at Elm Grove has a really big impact on the whole school.

“It’s lovely to hear support from the children themselves and not just the parents.”

Ms Start has worked at Elm Grove on a supply basis for the past nine years. She is paid £60 per week to work for around one and a half hours on a Wednesday morning.

Louise Willard, headteacher of Elm Grove primary, said: “Al has contributed much to the school over the past nine years with her original and fun approach to singing and signing.

“The school is extremely sad that, due to financial pressures, it has had to review its approach to singing assemblies.”

She said it had been a very difficult decision, and that internal school staff will run singing assemblies in the future.