RADCLIFFE'S two high schools look set to unite under the leadership of a single headteacher from the beginning of the year's summer term.

The decision, taken following discussions involving governors from both Radcliffe High and Coney Green High, will mean that both schools will retain their existing names and their governing bodies, but arrangements will be made to improve management and teaching support, to the benefit of students and staff.

Taking over as Executive Headteacher of the two schools will be Coney Green's current head, Diana Morton. This will allow her counterpart at Radcliffe High, Graham Rollinson, to be seconded to Salford LEA, prior to taking up his new headship in September 2003.

At the same time the change will also enable the schools and the community they serve to benefit from a new form of grant funding, which is being made available for the first time from April, 2003. This will bring in more than £500,000 over the next three years.

The link up comes as plans continue to try and get Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding to build a new single school for Radcliffe by 2006.

Bury Council's Executive Member for Lifelong Learning, Cllr Steve Perkins, said: "We have been very excited about future developments in Radcliffe for some months now and this announcement takes us another step towards our future vision to create a state-of-the-art school for Radcliffe and its community."