Science centre plans hit by funding hitch

Oldham Sixth-Form College’s flagship science centre is on hold because of funding problems.

The college’s plans to develop part of the former Pennine Way Hotel site for a regional science centre should have secured a grant by early this year.

But it has been hit by the same funding problems as the Oldham College, where an £80 million redevelopment hangs in the balance after funding from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) ran out.

Rebuilding Oldham College was due to start in June, and it is one of 79 projects now halted after being approved in principle by the LSC.

Across town, the proposed science centre is intended to reverse the decline in students taking maths and science degrees, building on the sixth-form college’s success in those departments, graded outstanding by Ofsted.

Sixth-form college principal Nick Brown said last year that he hoped the science centre would be up and running by 2010.

It would cater for 700 students at sixth-form level, plus under-16s and older students.

Oldham Council regeneration officers are now reviewing the situation with the sixth-form college, but Mr Brown remains optimistic.

He said: “This is something completely new and something the country needs.

“I think there is more than one road for it, and we are not working in any other assumption than it will be built.

“There is 16-to-19 funding potential as well as general further-education funding, and the LSC has set a precedent by funding the Rochdale Sixth-Form College in this way.

“We also have national advocates for the science centre, including Prof John Holman.”

Prof Holman is director of the £9 million flagship National Science Learning Centre — at the University of York — designed to improve the way science is taught in schools.

Mr Brown added: “I haven’t spoken to anyone who doesn’t think this will happen. It depends how quickly the LSC moves. It is not only an important project for Oldham but nationally important.”

Last month, an Audit Commission report criticised the LSC funding problems as predictable and avoidable.

In the Budget, Chancellor Alistair Darling made available £300 million to allow the LSC to approve a limited number of projects on a needs basis.

An LSC statement said: “The expectation is that all colleges will consider the scale, scope and costs of their projects very carefully. With limited funds, we will want to ensure that we maximise the impact for learners, employers and communities in every project we approve.”