AS A primary school governor and the stepfather of a secondary school student, I am increasingly concerned about the impending crisis in education funding.

Both schools to which I refer are particularly well-managed and received glowing reports following their most recent Ofsted inspections. However, both are now faced with significant budget shortfalls for the forthcoming school year, in the case of the secondary school in excess £100,000.

As a result, vital projects will be mothballed. Furthermore with salaries making up such a large percentage of the school budget, the threat of widescale redundancies is real if unpalatable.

The initial response from the Government was to hint at poor management. Frankly, this was an insult. Then education minister Charles Clark suggested diverting building fund resources to bolster staff wages.

Ridiculous short-termism. Besides, do we want our children to learn in crumbling classrooms or under leaking roofs?

This government was elected on a platform of providing the highest standards of education possible. And in absolute fairness, we have seen unprecedented resources being spent on our schools since 1997. However, if the costs of running the system outweigh the investment, then a day of reckoning beckons. For many schools that day is now upon us.

The Government announces higher pay scales to encourage recruitment and bolster morale, yet doesn't mention that schools are expected to foot much of the bill.

In our primary schools we have seen the real benefits of putting children into small groups away from the full-class body. The improvement shown by children of varying abilities is truly remarkable and reflected in their achievements. However, this forward-thinking policy employed by many schools is under threat if we have to lose teachers.

Can I ask all parents to write to their MPs demanding an urgent review of education spending.

If enough of us make a nuisance of ourselves with the attendant threat of a ballet box, we might make the much trumpeted words " Education, education, education" seem a little less hollow than they currently do.

NEIL A YATES, Wharf Street, Rishton.