FOR the first time in 50 years Wyre Forest has had an MP with a direct stake in local education.

I'm the only candidate with children in local state schools. That's why, like thousands of other parents, I care passionately about education.

Our children were short-changed for far too long. In 1997 four in 10 11-year-olds were failing to reach the expected standard in maths and English, class sizes were rising for all age groups, classrooms were crumbling and experienced teachers were underpaid and undervalued.

In Worcestershire, successive Conservatives at County Hall cut school spending to keep down the rates. Householders with votes ranked higher than children.

Spending per child was only £1,754 in 1997. It's up to £2,237 per child today, a massive 27.54 per cent increase or an extra £483 per pupil per year.

Even with these massive increases, we spend less than other counties.

Labour is committed to reforming the local government finance system we inherited from the last Government, to provide a fair funding system.

Labour will continue to invest in education year on year. In contrast Worcestershire Tories tried to cut £4 million away from local schools this March, showing that for all the rhetoric about education nothing has changed.

Nursery education is a vital start to learning. Today we have nurseries in Wilden, St Mary's, Franche, Wribb-enhall, and many more local schools.

There's a free nursery place for every four-year-old today, in place of the nightmare of nursery vouchers. Under Labour, by 2004 that will extend to three-year-olds.

The teaching of reading and writing has been transformed with the literacy hour and numeracy strategy. The number of 11-year-olds who pass their reading tests at 11 has risen by 10 per cent and it's up 13 per cent for maths, but we can get even better.

In 1997 there were nearly 2,000 first school children in classes of more than 30. Classes of more than 30 for five, six and seven-year-olds are virtually unknown and all will be gone by this September.

We've focused on early years in the first Labour Government, but the next Labour Government will do the same for middle and high schools.

A teacher stopped me last week and said: "I'm voting Labour. You've made a good start but keep it up".

If I'm re-elected I'll "keep it up", working for the best education for our children because they include my own as well.