A MASSIVE rise in teachers' pay has been blamed for the cash crisis facing some of Worcestershire's schools.

New figures show salary levels have rocketed by nearly 27 per cent since 1999.

According to the county council, the average teacher in a Worcestershire school now earns nearly £30,000 a year.

At the same time, teacher numbers have risen by 569 - adding an estimated £17m alone to the county wage bill.

Worcester MP Mike Foster said the increase explained why some schools were finding funding a "real issue" this year.

"When schools say they have no cash, and the Government says it has invested billions into the system, parents are left wondering who's telling the truth," he said.

"These surprise figures, supplied by the education authority, explain what's been happening in our schools. We have more teachers and they're better paid - and this could explain why standards are rising."

Worcestershire now has 4,927 teachers, compared to 4,358 in 1998/99, while average salaries have increased from £23,587 to £29,924.

"I'm delighted that local schools have seen a boost in the number of teachers working in them," the Labour MP added.

"A 13 per cent increase in teaching staff is a significant increase that will have a real impact on standards."

But the management of funding was still very much a local issue, and funding problems had to be addressed in the county.

Adrian Hardman, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for resources, said it showed how poor Government funding for county education had become.

"Teachers' pay is set nationally, so the problem is that the Government hasn't put in the money to cover our costs," he said.

"It adds strength to our case that we've done very poorly out of the area cost adjustments.

"Another issue is that teachers want to live and work in Worcester for longer periods of time, which we think is a good thing in terms of the continuity of education. As they move further up the national pay scale, it costs more to employ them."

David Thompson, acting headteacher at Christopher Whitehead High School, in Bromwich Road, Worcester, agreed that the county's financial situation was disappointing.

"We're right at the bottom of tables showing which LEAs receive the most funding. The problem headteachers in Worcestershire have is that we're not on a level playing field," he said.