A HEADTEACHER hopes he will be able to buy textbooks for the first time in two years with extra cash promised by the Government.

John Baumber, of Rivington and Blackrod High School, estimates he will receive an extra £165,000 next April following Gordon Brown's announcement earlier this week that £15 billion would be pumped into education.

That means the school will receive £50,000 more than this year, with the figure rising to £180,000 for each of the following two years.

The Horwich-based secondary was granted technology status in September 2000 and has spent the past two years channelling as much cash as possible into a £300,000 hi-tech arts and technology department, which was unveiled earlier this year.

Mr Baumber, who has been busy consulting the Government's websites to see how his school will gain following the Chancellor's announcement, said: "£165,000 can make a real difference for a secondary school. We've not been able to increase resources for the past two years. Ideally I'd like to spend the money on books."

Mr Baumber is also keen to use the extra cash to support the school's new curriculum for pupils aged 14 and above which has been introduced after a Government reform of the 14-19 education system.

The school's new technology facilities have proved to be the ideal setting for vocational studies and qualifications to be introduced for pupils who might not be suited to GCSEs and A-levels.

Any 14-year-olds who have a flair for engineering and design will be able to follow a two-year fast-track engineering course and work alongside higher education and training organisations such as Alliance Learning, which has links to industry names such as Hitachi, BAe Systems and Leyland Trucks.

Mr Baumber added: "The extra money would be an excellent opportunity to make more time for teachers to plan for this new curriculum and really get embedded in it."