Rochdale to receive £11m to help with school places

Councillor Ashley Dearnley delighted that Rochdale is to receive £11m to help with school places

Rochdale is set to receive a cash boost of £11m to help ensure school places are filled over the next three years.

Rochdale is one of a number of areas in a new drive by the Department for Education to tackle overcrowded classrooms and create enough places to meet demand by 2018.

Sandra Bowness, Assistant Director of Early Help and Schools at Rochdale Council, added: “We have been working hard to minimise the number of pupils in oversized classes and are pleased that funding has been made available to support the positive steps already taken. This is sure to help as we work towards giving all our students across the borough the best possible education.”

Local Conservative Leader, Councillor Ashley Dearnley thinks this is great news for the borough.

He said: “I think this is excellent news that the government has given us this money in times of austerity to ensure that we can fill these school places and rooms.

“It is wonderful that we have been given the money when other places haven’t been and it is a testament to the hard work of our education department who ensure that school pupils get the best out of their education and that future generations also get the best.”