AROUND 200 headteachers have met county MPs at Parliament to urge them to consider offering schools an interim payment through the education funding crisis.

Coachloads of heads from high, middle, primary, and special schools in Worcestershire made the journey to London yesterday, to take their case to the heart of Government.

Heads said they believed it was the biggest lobby of education professionals in recent times.

They all wanted reassurance from the MPs that their pleas will be listened to by education Ministers.

Cledwyn Davies, head of Droitwich High School and chairman of Worcestershire Secondary Heads, told yesterday's forum that he had spoken with Teresa May, the Shadow Minister for education.

She had assured them she believed the formula used to calculate the Standard Spending Assessment is wrong.

Worcestershire LEA has been told the provisional SSA - the Government's calculation of education spending for the county - has increased by 3.7 per cent.

It represents an education increase in Worcestershire, which is lower than the national average by some 1.1 per cent.

It means in broad terms that the average Worcester primary school will receive £121,000 less than the national average for other primaries.

"David Blunkett knows all about us being here," said Mr Davies. "I've been assured that they are going to do something for us.

"For the past nine years we've hoped for a better solution. We know our MPs have been working very hard for our benefit, but we need to see something done now.

"This meeting today, is about our frustration and our disappointment. We know the Government has made enormous efforts with education. We do receive a lot more grants now for specific things but it is our core funding which needs addressing."

The lobby group first met with Labour MPs, Mike Foster, Jacqui Smith, David Lock and Peter Temple-Morris. Then they addressed Conservative MPs, Sir Michael Spicer, Peter Luff and Julie Kirkbride.