THE "poor" performance of Worcestershire's schools could derail a campaign for more cash, MP Mike Foster has warned.

The county council has been battling for a fairer funding deal for its cash-strapped schools for 10 years and Ministers are preparing to introduce a new formula.

But Worcester MP Mr Foster says the case for more cash could fail if the performance of local youngsters does not improve - because councils which receive less money than Worcestershire are doing better.

In a letter to council chief executive Rob Sykes, Mr Foster has warned: "I will work with anyone to try and get more resources into our local schools.

"However, I've come across what I consider to be a dilemma.

"There is a logical argument that getting a higher education spending settlement will help raise educational performance for Worcestershire schools. It's a case I want to make to Government.

"Comparisons with places like Hertfordshire put pupils in Worcestershire in a disadvantaged position. The evidence - admittedly based on crude data - suggests this is the case.

"Hertfordshire outperforms Worcestershire in Key Stage Two English and maths and GCSE performance, as does Surrey, East Sussex - marginally - Essex, Kent, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire,

so I have the basis of an arguable case.

"However, when I looked at performance in Cheshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire - who have a worse funding position - I find they by and large also outperform Worcestershire.

"So do other poorly-funded LEAs such as Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire.

"The climate in Whitehall is for reform to enable public services to deliver. I really feel that we need to make a case for showing what Worcestershire schools would deliver in return for more cash.

"If we can't, then I fear our relatively poor performance with the cash we have had will work against us in arguing for more."

According to tables published in The Times, Key Stage Two results in Worcestershire were the worst of all the Shire counties in England in 2001.