IT is not as if we haven't asked her before. Today's open letter is the second we have penned to Education Secretary Estelle Morris.

The first was sent to launch the Evening Advertiser's Fair Deal for Schools campaign in July.

We asked her to bring a speedy end to the current Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) system, which allocates cash based on social, geographical and historic factors.

We stressed the urgency of Swindon's situation and asked her to assure Swindon people that the town would not suffer badly again next year.

Ms Morris was too busy to respond herself.

Instead, she asked School Standards Minister, Stephen Timms, to write to us to explain the current situation.

His letter came days after the Government confirmed that the SSA would not be changed until April 2003.

He said: "The current SSA system has few defenders and I am certainly not one of them.

"It cannot be right to have a system where there are disparities in funding which cannot be justified by the education needs of children."

He refers to finding extra funding through direct grants.

But this will be little comfort to the town's headteachers, who say that until the SSA is made fairer, Swindon schools will not be able to compete for staff, resources and consequently, results.

We would love to be able to speak to Ms Morris directly today, as she attends a conference at Swindon's Hilton Hotel, ironically on the subject of Developing Best Practice in Education.

But she has refused all requests. Our only way to reach her is to present her with a complimentary copy of today's Evening Advertiser, which includes our second open letter to her.

We are also handing out today's Adver to delegates at the conference, who make up some of Britain's most respected education experts.

They will learn from what they read that Swindon Council is currently the worst funded of all 46 unitary authorities in the country and only one of those North Somerset passes on less cash to schools.

That means that the town's schools are missing out on hundreds of pounds per pupil compared to similar and nearby districts.

The difference is starting to be noticed in exam results. We are clearly falling behind in exam league tables, which are published today. And seven out of the town's 10 secondary schools are shown in a recent report to be achieving below average test results for pupils at age 14 and 16.

Schools are clearly trying their best in difficult circumstances. Swindon Council's education department is effectively in special measures after being criticised by Government inspectors. Much of the problem stems from a lack of support for schools from education officers and senior councillors.

But the situation has been exacerbated by the chronic funding shortage.

Our Fair Deal for Schools campaign has been backed by politicians, teachers and parents in Swindon. Angered by the situation, Haydon Wick and Blunsdon St Andrew parish councils wrote to Ms Morris.

The campaign has also received backing from all three political parties on Swindon Council, Swindon's two MPs, Julia Drown and Michael Wills, the three main teachers' unions, headteachers and the council's director of education, Dr Mike Lusty.

The Conservative group's education spokesman, Coun Garry Perkins (Dorcan), even said his group was prepared to march on London to hammer the message home.