A FRESH breakthrough in Worcestershire's poor school funding could be around the corner, it has emerged.

Top Whitehall civil servants held confidential talks with campaigners last Wednesday, (January 21), about giving the county another schools cash boost.

The negotiations, which included members of the f40 campaign group, led to mandarins doing a set of complicated calculations about a possible "substantial" percentage uplift in cash for this county.

Worcester MP Robin Walker, who has backed the campaign, also held talks with education secretary Nicky Morgan to press the case and raised the issue in a House of Commons debate.

Last April the government agreed to shake up its school allocations that gave Worcestershire an extra £6.7 million for 2015/16 as part of a £390 million boost to the UK's worst-funded local education authorities.

But pupils in neighbouring Birmingham still get more than £1,000 a year extra per head that Worcestershire, and at the time the Coalition suggested it would need more time to reduce the disparity further.

During the parliamentary debate, held on January 19, the schools minister David Laws was asked what progress was being made on delivering "fair and transparent" funding changes.

Mr Laws cited the £6.7 million boost for Worcestershire this year, and insisted more changes would take place "in the next parliament".

"We have already made the first big step and I agree with him that it is vital we deliver a full solution to this long-standing injustice," he said.

Bromsgrove's MP Sajid Javid said: "Neighbouring pupils in Birmingham receive more funding per head than in Bromsgrove.

"However, the Government is closing that gap and every pupil in Bromsgrove will be receiving £97 extra funding.

"In total across Worcestershire that is an increase of £6.7 million.

"I am pleased that the Government has listened to calls to change Labour’s unfair system. But there is more to do. It is vital that our children receive the very best possible start to life through a fairer funding system."