TEN years ago, Tony Blair uttered the famous pledge that "education, education, education" were his top three priorities on being elected.

This mantra was given along with promises to reduce class sizes, improve standards and return to the old school ideologies of teaching, with a focus on the three Rs.

In the following decade these changes have had a dramatic effect on education - and for schools, colleges and nurseries in Worcestershire we see what Blair's three Es have really meant.

THE NURSERY One nursery school in Worcester has noted that Government funding for parents to send their tots to school has ensured they have stayed full.

Sue Hunt, manager of the Wishing Well Nursery, Bilford Road, said it was because of the money parents received that the nursery was a continuing success.

Mrs Hunt said: "I have been here for seven years and, in that time, we have always been full. We are very lucky we have a school next door, but the funding has definitely helped. There are a lot more nurseries now and, with the funding, there is a lot more choice for parents."

The Government provides funding for each three and four-year-old to have a three-hour session, five days a week. Parents of two-year-olds are also beginning to benefit, with the introduction of funds for three sessions a week, each at two-and-a-half hours.

"It really does help people more with the funding to get children into education quicker. The Government does seem to be pushing this all the time. But it gives the children the chance to take part in activities."

THE HIGH SCHOOL At Pershore High School, headteacher Clive Corbett said one of his main concerns was that Worcestershire still finds itself very close to the bottom of the education funding table.

Mr Corbett said: "The county rates 147th out of 149 local authorities. This means if we got the national average for pupil funding we would have an extra quarter of a million pounds a year to spend - meaning we would be a lot better off."

But national figures show that Labour has committed a huge budget to education, increasing from £29.7 billion in 1997/98 to £60.8 billion in 1997.

He said: "There have been some improvements in the funding in the past 10 years, but in comparison with the national average, Worcestershire is poor."

Mr Corbett said if Worcestershire did have the funding, this would mean a drastic improvement for the services they could provide.

He did say the class sizes were not bad. In years eight and nine, they have an average of 26 pupils in each, with fewer in the higher years.

"They are not huge, but obviously with more funding we could employ more teachers, and improve them even better. But in balance, things are better then they were 10 years ago - but there is a huge amount that could still be done," he added.

THE UNIVERSITY Iain Webb, president of the University of Worcester Student Union, said the main change in the past decade has happened this year with students now being charged £3,000 in tuition fees.

Mr Webb said this had converted students into more of a paying customer - and they expect more.

"You expect a level of service, such as the lectures, the rooms and the teaching. The main thing is that students are going to be paying more for going to uni. So a lot of our students are having to take up part-time work to get through."

Mr Webb said this did not seem to have had much impact on the numbers coming to Worcester. Despite the average number of applications for university places across the UK falling last year, for Worcester, it had risen.

The university's registrar, John Ryan, agreed the past 10 years had been successful ones.

In 1996, the college received its own degree-awarding powers and the following year became University College Worcester. Just 10 years on, they have continued to see a rapid change with full university status.

"We've doubled in size over the past decade, we're training even more teachers, nurses and midwives, and expanded our range of courses into new areas, including business and digital arts," said Mr Ryan.

He said their emphasis behind their work was to extend higher education opportunities.

"This year, we've enjoyed the second highest increase in degree applications for UK universities at 41 per cent."