Merton secures DfES money

Merton Council’s Schools Reorganisation project has received a financial boost this week after securing nearly £900,000 in extra funding from the government.

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has awarded Merton £882,000 to help fund furniture and equipment for new year groups.

Merton is currently involved in a four year, three-pronged programme to reorganise its educational structure. The first element sees schools move from a three tier system to a two tier system.

The second part is the implementation of the government’s PFI programme, that will see a private consortium investing in six Secondary schools and managing their facilities for 25 years.

Finally, the third element is to increase inclusion in mainstream schools with the introduction of Special Educational Needs (SEN) bases in some schools. No other authority in the country has attempted to implement all three elements at the same time and the extra money gained from the DfES will help to ensure well-resourced schools for Merton children.

Josephine Mahaffey, Head of Schools Reorganisation, said: “This is good news for everyone, particularly schools in Merton, and thanks are due to elected members, the Schools Reorganisation Team, the Finance Department and colleagues in schools for the efforts involved to secure this money.”

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