KIDS need teachers - that's this General Election campaign's message from the region's schools.

Recruiting more teachers and keeping the ones they have got is the top priority as schools look to the three main political parties.

All three have set out their education stalls.

Labour wants to press on with reforms and to focus on secondary schools, the Conservatives want to create Free Schools, where heads and governors would be released from bureaucratic control, and the Liberal Democrats to cut primary class sizes to 25 and to abolish university tuition fees.

Teachers have broadly welcomed the literacy and numeracy strategies introduced in primary schools over New Labour's first term and think the focused approach will work in secondaries too.

But for head teachers like Francis Loftus and Ann Burn, whatever the latest ideas or grand plans are, the key is to give schools more resources, more teachers and more support staff.

In the past, York and North Yorkshire have been able to attract teachers easily, but now schools are getting a handful of applications for good jobs and having trouble finding supply teachers.

Mrs Burn, head of Yearsley Grove Primary and York branch secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "The quality of applicants we get is still high, but the attractions of living in York are no longer enough to attract applicants for some jobs."

Mr Loftus, who is head at Barlby High in Selby, and convener of York and North Yorkshire Secondary Heads' Association, said: "There are some amazing teachers about and the politicians have to recognise that. They have to understand they are dealing with people who are working as hard as they can.

"Teachers leave not for the money, but because of a sense that teaching isn't valued as a public service any more. Kids need teachers."

Schools have welcomed Gordon Brown's direct budget payments, but still York and North Yorkshire councils' funding settlements for schools are lower than the national average.

Standards Funds grants have been welcomed too, but have involved masses of time-consuming form-filling.

At the younger end, Mrs Burn said there had been benefits from the reduction in infant class sizes - one of Labour's pledges last time round - but she said she would like to see the same happen to junior class sizes.

And she said the plans for expansion in nursery places would also require the recruitment of extra staff.

At the older end, rural sixth forms are worried about their funding once the new powers of the Learning and Skills Councils kick in, in two years' time.

And while politicians get all worked up about state school students' chances of getting into Oxbridge, the main worry for students and parents these days is raising the cash to get through a degree course.

Updated: 11:56 Saturday, May 26, 2001