WHEN you live on a tight budget there are always luxuries that have to be cast to one side - holidays, days out and expensive goods come to mind.

Imagine the despair of a headteacher, then, who looks at their school's budget at the start of the year.

They look at the figures and realise they have to make a choice between a new teacher, computers with which to comply with the National Curriculum, or maybe new textbooks to replace dog-eared copies two editions out-of-date.

This isn't some nightmare. It's the reality that faces heads across Worcestershire.

It's no surprise, then, that this same group of people - passionate about their chosen career - have decided enough is enough.

The fact is, the formula used to devise the education budget is unfair to the 300 schools in the county. The Government has promised it will change this soon, and knowing that it's unfair, made interim payments to help cover costs last year.

But the money hasn't materialised this year.

The heads are somewhat miffed, so they've decided to take the matter into their own hands.

I don't think anyone will begrudge asking governing bodies to help pay for this fight.

The Fair Funding Fighting Fund has been set up so the Worcestershire Headteachers Forum can employ a top London barrister to fight their battle.

With the help of this legal eagle, the heads hope to prove the Government's Treasury is discriminating against schoolchildren in Worcestershire.

Hopefully they won't have to go all the way to the High Court to win this battle.

The shame of it all might be enough to bring change a lot quicker than the Government promises.

The heads are digging deep into their own pockets to pay for the barrister.

They'll also ask their governing bodies to donate as little as £5 to the cause.

Education officers at Worcestershire County Council and other folk could also be asked to add to the piggybank.

I'm sure there won't be many people who refuse to help. After all, it is all in a good cause.

Cledwyn-Davies, Droitwich High School headteacher - and chairman of the Forum - told me how different his budget would be if his school were 22 miles away and within the Birmingham education authority area.

His school would be £500,000 richer, taking his budget to £3.5m.

This is a year-on-year figure. Imagine having that little nest egg to play with each year.

Cledwyn-Davies said with that bonus he could fund 12 extra full-time teachers, 12 computers and 10,000 books. Every year.

Sue Mason, headteacher at Abbey Park First School in Pershore, compared her school to one in Hertfordshire.

The county is similar in size and wealth to Worcestershire, but somehow its schoolchildren receive more funding.

Mrs Mason is head of a 220-pupil school, but because it is in Worcestershire it receives £242 per pupil less than the national average.

"If I was in Birmingham I'd have £82,431 in my budget every year," she said.

"That would get another full-time teacher, teaching assistants in every class and five or six additional computers.

"It would make a massive difference."

Mrs Mason and Cledwyn-Davies are just two of 300 heads united in wanting a common goal.

In February this year, they descended on Westminster to make their voices heard.

Their trip raised their media profile but, unfortunately, hasn't helped in the long run.

This legal battle could do both.

Our schools are doing a good job, despite the unfair funding.

They run a tight ship and know how to manage their money.

But they deserve better.

Imagine how our schools' Ofsted reports would read if they received even the average funding.

Pupils would receive more individual attention in the classroom, there would be more opportunity to use technology and there could be, quite probably, better results all round.

Their education would flourish even further.

Let's not deprive our children of the futures they deserve. Let's support the headteachers and get the funding.