Harriett Baldwin will tomorrow attend a conference organised by the f40 campaign group, at which education spokesmen from all three parties are due to speak.

The f40 campaign represents the 40 worst funded education authorities in the country.

A major review of the way education funding is organised is nearly complete and about to go to consultation. After the consultation, decisions will be made by government that will set a new funding allocation formula that will affect school funding for the next decade.

Harriett Baldwin said,

"As the Governor of one of our local primary schools, I am well aware of the challenges faced by Worcestershire schools which receive much less per head in funding than schools in nearby Birmingham."

"While it is right to recognise the additional costs of students for whom English is a second language and students with Special Educational Needs, it is also important to ensure that smaller village schools are viable and that the distances that many students have to travel in rural Worcestershire are also taken into account. I plan to feed this in to the conference and the consultation process."

"If I am elected to represent West Worcestershire in next year's General Election, I will fight to ensure that children in Worcestershire get the funding they need to succeed in education."

Photo: Three Worcestershire Parliamentary Candidates at f40 conference: L to R Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest, Harriett Baldwin, West Worcestershire and Robin Walker, Worcester