BURY'S schools have received an end-of-term treat with the news that they will share in a record £12.8 billion increase in education spending.

It means that each of the borough's 14 secondary schools will typically get a £50,000 annual cash injection over the next three years, while its 69 primary schools will receive an average of £10,000 each.

The money is designed to improve standards and free head teachers to respond to the particular challenges that face their schools.

Education secretary Estelle Morris has personally pledged that every secondary school in Bury will become "world class".

But Bury's head of financial services, Mr Peter Lowe, believes that the money may not be enough. He said: "Bury's schools are amongst the poorest-funded in England, with more than half expected to go into the red in 2003/04, unless there is a significant increase in their funding levels. The extra money announced by the Chancellor this week will not be enough to keep their heads above water with many expected to sink into a sea of despair. It is highly unlikely that for many schools there will be enough money to pay for any new initiatives and developments."

However, Mrs Morris said every penny of the extra investment would be matched by radical reform. "Parents, teachers and pupils in Bury will see real change in their local schools, not at some vague distant date, but soon," she said.

Weak head teachers will be replaced, more teaching assistants will be employed, to leave teachers free to teach, specialist schools will be introduced and there will be a huge crackdown on bad behaviour.

Coun Steve Perkins, Bury's executive member for lifelong learning, said: "It might just get us out of a hole, but we need to correct the basic inadequacy of Bury's funding and to this end we will continue to put pressure on the government for fairer funding for Bury."