Oxfordshire headteachers have accused the Government of "getting its sums wrong", over the funding of education.

Delegates at the annual conference of the National Association of Headteachers, in York, issued a warning over funding shortages and threatened to pull out of a workload agreement with the Deprtment for Education unless more money was forthcoming.

County branch spokesman Clive Hallett said jobs were at risk.

The heads were also unhappy with tests for primary schools and nationally-published league tables, and back a motion calling for them to be scrapped.

Mr Hallett, who is the headteacher of Wheatley Primary School, said: "Teachers believe seven-year-olds are far too young to be put through national testing -- the strain can be enormous.

"We we would also like to see the abolition of the national publication of exam league tables for primary and secondary schools."

In Wales tests and league tables have been abolished and Mr Hallett wants to see a similar move in England. He recognised that parents had a right to know about exam results but said they could be obtained from schools.

Education minister Stephen Twigg told the conference that schools could go into the red to avoid the need to sack teachers.

Mr Hallett said: "Education is grossly under-funded. The Government is looking for people to blame but has got its sums wrong. It's time it changed direction or education will be facing a serious crisis."

He said that running school budgets in the red was a dangerous route to follow.