STAFF in Bolton will be among the first in the country to be offered lessons in running a school.

Bolton South is on a list of 170 colleges and education centres nationwide preparing to put the National Vocational Qualification in School Administration on their timetable.

The new qualification was developed by the Department for Education and Employment to boost administrative and financial skills in schools.

It will be offered at the Bolton South next year but Schools Minister Robin Squire visited Croydon College on Wednesday to meet the first students to sign up for the new course.

He said: "Good quality financial information enables governors and senior managers to direct resources where they will support improvements in pupils' performance - and get the best value for taxpayers money.

"Over the past decade, the Government has given all state schools more responsibility for their own affairs, including the crucial task of deciding how to spend their budgets.

"These changes have increased the need for high quality financial and administrative support in schools.

"This new NVQ in School Administration will help staff provide the expert support their schools need."

Schools who want to send staff on the NVQ course, which is at levels 2, 3 and 4, may be able to get funding from the Training and Enterprise Council or the DFEE.

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