YOUR articles recently about the standards achieved by our 11-year-olds show teachers, schools and children working hard.

We are proud of them since they are performing in difficult circumstances. During four years of Tony Blair's government, nothing has happened to redress Worcestershire's low funding, and the latest settlement, according to the portfolio holder for education "is going to make things terribly hard for us to keep up this performance." The actions of local Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians running education have not helped.

6 They tried to close Elbury Mount School but fortunately were thwarted by those parents and councillors interested in the academic and community needs rather then party politics.

6 Conspiring with Tesco, they are threatening the viability of the community in St John's as they plan to uproot Christopher Whitehead School to the fringe of the city.

6 They tried to get an extra £750,000 a year to help schools in Worcester but their friends in government turned them down.

6 They have a scheme to aid those schools with most needs in Warndon and north Worcester. Even this initiative is in jeopardy due to the self-inflicted cash crisis brought on by poor management of Social Services.

6 They have presided over a Local Education Authority that is bottom of all county councils in the latest league table.

Education in this county is on the brink of crisis. A crisis brought on by low national funding. A crisis consolidated by poor local political judgements.

Our children, teachers and communities should not have to put with this sort of treatment.

PAUL MIDDLEBOROUGH,

Norton,

Worcester.