IT'S not the teachers to blame, Mr Foster. I agree wholeheartedly with Mary Donovan's comments.

I have seen a number of headline-grabbing initiatives for improving standards in schools. They fail to tackle the underlying problem faced in Worcestershire (ranked 32 out of 34 poorest funded authorities).

A further £100 even for a small primary school (under 250 pupils) would fund an extra teacher. In a school of this size, employee costs account for about 85 per cent of the total school budget.

With everything else trimmed to the bone, this is the only area where savings can realistically be made.

With recruitment and retention of quality teachers seemingly high on the agenda for Labour, how does Mike Foster suggest a typical school should "search for a better blend of higher-paid, experienced teachers, and younger, cheaper staff."

Surely it is not too much to expect to be able to meet the nationally-set pay levels for the staff we have, rather than encourage them to leave and replace with a cheaper option simply to make up for the poor funding deal we receive?

Ignoring employment regulations for a moment, even if we adopt this ageist policy, casting aside older, experienced teachers and replace with younger, cheaper staff, in time they too will progress along the national pay scale and we would be back to square one.

The answer, Mr Foster, is quite simple. Give the children of the people who elected you and the rest of Worcestershire a fair deal.

MIKE GOODE,

Norton, Worcester.