A LOCAL headteacher has demanded more government money to allow Harrow schools to provide sixth-form education.

Bruce Goddard, of Canons High School in Shaldon Road, Harrow, urged Labour MPs Tony McNulty (Harrow East) and Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) to keep the pressure on following their re-elction on Thursday last week.

Mr Goddard, who will become chairman of the High School Heads committee next year, wants the MPs to continue lobbying for government support for a sixth-form academy in the borough.

At present, no Harrow secondary school offers post-16 qualifiactions. All students wishing to continue their studies after GCSE are forced to leave the borough or attend one of its three colleges.

Pupils also enter secondary schools at 12, one year later than in most other boroughs Mr Goddard said: "There is an urgent need to restructure our high school system. We need to come into line with almost every other area of the country and allow our pupils to transfer from primary to secondary school at 11.

"We also need to ensure that less of our students feel the need to move out of the area for post 16 education by providing sixth form places in all our schools.

"These are major challenges, and neither will happen without a major injection of funding from the government to allow adaptations to current buildings and the building of some new ones, to take place."

Speaking at the school's annual graduation ceremony for GCSE students at the Kadwa Patidar Centre in Kenmore Avenue, Kenton on Wednesday, Mr Goddard said he hoped the Government would "have a fresh look at Harrow".

He said: "With the help of our two MP's, I hope to see a new government having a fresh look at Harrow and provide fresh funding that will provide schools for the future we can all be proud of.

"Schools across the country, including all our neighbouring boroughs, are being modernized and rebuilt, but almost nothing has been provided for Harrow."

Mr Thomas said: "I'm in complete agreement. It's one of the top issues in my in tray. We had started discussions with the previous education minister Stephen Twigg and we are hoping continue the good work with his succossor."