Southwark awards BSF deal to RM

Under the deal, RM will be provide hardware, networking and communications services and day to day management and support. Each school will also get customised ICT software. The contract covers four schools in the borough and is part of phase 2a of the council's BSF programme. "This is excellent news for our borough's pupils and staff. Investment in these schools will offer students fantastic IT opportunities," said Catherine McDonald, cabinet member for children's services at Southwark. "Pupils will have the latest technology and computers on hand, which will go a long way to help them in many aspects of their course work and future studies too." In July education secretary Michael Gove axed the £45bn BSF programme, calling it "inflexible and needlessly complex". The coalition government has allowed schools at an advanced stage of the programme to continue.