By Kelly Eve Education reporter

Last updated at 13:33, Tuesday, 09 March 2010

Hopes of transforming secondary schools across west Cumbria with a “once-in-a-lifetime” £80 million cash injection have suffered a major blow.

Cumbria County Council has failed by the “narrowest of margins” to clinch the £80m from the Government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) fund.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls yesterday said it is one of three authorities which will be “first in line” when more cash becomes available. It was to be the single biggest investment secondary education in Cumbria has ever seen.

The initial phase would have resulted in, among other things, a new school for Workington, a £20m upgrade of Netherhall School in Maryport, major improvements at Millom School and the transformation of Mayfield School in Whitehaven which caters for children with special needs.

It was also hoped that it would allow schools to also look at new ways of working together at governance and management levels, sharing expertise and resources across sites.

Plans were then to focus later on improving secondary schools across Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland.

Carlisle’s secondary school landscape is already changing following the introduction of two academies working under the same management and other schools receiving major investments.

The BSF scheme aims to rebuild or revamp every secondary school in England.

Hopes were high that Cumbria’s bid would be successful following recent high-profile visits from Schools Secretary Ed Balls and minister Vernon Coaker.

In Cumbria, the BSF plans were also hoping to play a major role in changing the way learning is delivered to people of all ages. It would place a new emphasis on having schools as the heart of communities and offering other services closer to home too.

Jim Buchanan, leader of Cumbria County Council, said: “We are extremely disappointed at the decision.

“However, we are encouraged with the assurances made by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, that, along with two other authorities, we are first in line to enter the programme at the next available opportunity.

“We have been working closely with government through their agency, Partnerships for Schools, and have been told that we made an extremely compelling case in our submission.

“We are fully committed to improving educational standards in west Cumbria and the county as a whole and we will continue our dialogue with schools and government to find the best way to make improvements. We will continue to pursue all funding opportunities to ensure that Cumbria schools are able to raise and maintain performance and other outcomes for our children and young people.”

Workington MP Tony Cunningham spent half an hour yesterday speaking to Education Secretary Ed Balls, who assured him that Cumbria’s bid could be approved within weeks.

Mr Cunningham said he, too, was disappointed but he remained upbeat about the chances of early success.

He said: “The worst that could have happened yesterday was that the bid was rejected. That did not happen. It continues to be a good bid and I am sure that with the necessary alternations it will succeed.

“I believe it is possible within a matter of weeks, this side of the general election.”

First published at 11:26, Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk