SOUTHAMPTON has won £1.2m from the government to help ensure children receive a high standard of education.

The cash award comes after a long-running campaign by the city's education authority to access the government funding to help schools in disadvantaged areas.

City MP and ex-minister John Denham believes a meeting he and former city schools chief Richard Harris held with ministers swung the money Southampton's way. The city has been promised £1,268,000 between September 2005 and March 2006 as part of the government's Excellence Cluster programme.

The programme aims to improve the quality of education, especially among the disadvantaged, and creates partnerships to support disadvantaged schools.

Mr Denham said: "I have no doubt that this extra money was secured after the meeting I had with David Milliband and Southampton Labour Councillor Richard Harris last year. We went to see the minister to press the case for extra funding for Southampton schools and it looks as though we have been successful."

Executive director of lifelong learning and training Ian Sandbrook said: "We are very pleased that the DfES has recognised our argument that Southampton should receive additional funding to help schools in disadvantaged areas.

"We will now be looking at how we use this money in the most effective way to further improve the education pupils in our city receive."

The announcement follows earlier news the government is investing £625,000 through the leadership incentive grant in Southampton and another £409,000 as part of the primary expansion programme.