David Blunkett, Education and Employment Secretary, announced this week that Merton is to receive a share of a £82 million cash boost aimed at raising educational standards in secondary schools.

The cash will kickstart Key Stage Three. This is a curriculum programme which promotes literacy and numeracy for 11 to 14 year olds and it is an extension to the successful Key Stages One and Two.

A similar grant was awarded to Merton last year, the vast majority of which was ploughed directly back into schools.

The total amount of funding available to the Borough for this project is £299,000 however, these funds are not granted automatically. Cabinet Member for Secondary Education, Councillor Karl Carter explains:

“Merton is delighted at the opportunity of receiving government funding, however not all of this budget is automatically available. Although Merton is eligible to receive 53% of the total, in order to access the remainder of the pot, the borough needs to contribute some of it’s own budget.

“The borough’s schoolchildren are set to benefit greatly from this financial package as research has shown that high standards of literacy and numeracy lend themselves to higher standards across the curriculum.

“The budget setting process is currently underway and it is hoped that Key Stage Three will prove just as successful as the work undertaken in First and Middle Schools.”