LACK of funding for county schools was again tackled by Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff in a recent commons exchange.

He was disheartened by the growing gap between Worcestershire and the English national funding average.

In the commons last Thursday, he claimed county schools had welcomed extra Government cash for local schools but it is still below the national average.

"The Government have brought forward no proposals at all to address the growing gap between Worcestershire's funding and the English national funding average, despite teachers being paid on a national pay scale. When will the Government address the iniquity of schools in similar situations in similar education authorities getting wildly different sums of money?"

The Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Charles Clarke admitted an assessment is needed. He said he had also approached the School Teachers Review Body to check whether there is a case for regional variations. He said: "To be blunt, the key area where that is so important is London and the south-east, where there is already a system of extra pay to deal with those circumstances. It is a bigger factor there than in some other parts of the country, including Worcestershire."