A crowdfunding page has been set up in a bid to fund a new teaching assistant at a Dorchester school.

According to a JustGiving page, Thomas Hardye School needs to raise £9,000 to pay for an A-Level foreign language assistant.

A statement on the fundraising page says: "The benefits to our students are immeasurable and this is reciprocated by the experience offered to the assistants themselves, allowing them to make progress with their English, to experience another culture and country and to deepen the ties between our two countries.

"Most importantly, it helps to reinforce the importance of languages, collaboration, co-operation and cross-cultural relations."

It is unclear whether the page was set up by somebody at the school at this stage.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said this was "another shocking example" of how government cuts to funding are "failing" schools.

She said: "It is entirely unacceptable in one of the richest countries in the world that we cannot fund our education system.

"Forcing headteachers to go cap in hand to charities and parents to fund essential and basic education provision is nothing short of shameful.

"This government must face up to the crisis they have created and give schools and colleges the money they need."

Previously, headteacher Mike Foley has hit out at funding cuts, saying not enough money is going into schools in the area.

He said: "For any headteacher, these figures run true to what is happening on the ground.

"We have been making cuts for the past eight years."