LEADING Liberal Democrat Layla Moran demanded more investment in schools and public transport when she visited Kendal last week.

The party's education spokesperson said school resources were being stretched to the limit by a lack of finance, and added that lack of investment in public transport was an additional problem for children in rural area such as South Lakes.

"Cuts in funding have been hitting right across the education system and teachers have been taking up the slack," said the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon during a visit to Sandgate School in Sandylands.

"Teachers are working harder and harder to keep up standards and the issue needs to be addressed."

And Ms Moran, who is herself a qualified physics teacher, said public transport was a particularly important issue for schoolchildren in Cumbria, many of whom travel long distances to school, and called for better funding to ensure journeys to school are as problem free as possible.

The MP is seen as a rising star within the Liberal Democrats and has been at the fore since a speech at last September's party conference centring on her radical plans to overhaul the education system earned national headlines.

During her visit to the Sandylands Road school, where she was accompanied by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, she joined in the afternoon assembly with the school's pupils and head teacher Dan Hinton.

“It was great to visit Sandgate school," said Ms Moran.

“This is a pioneering school at a national level, and the local community are lucky to have such great innovation on their doorstep.

“The success of the school is testament to the brilliant work of both teachers and the children.”

However, she also made it clear in her view changes were required in the current education system in general.

"The system is based around a curriculum where many pupils are set up to fail," she said.

"The curriculum is narrow and schools are too focussed on league tables rather than improving the opportunities for every pupil.

"We want to widen it by giving pupils more opportunities in subject such as music and the arts in general."