Serco Group plc has won a £345m contract to run Walsall MBC's education and children's services over the next 12 years. The new contract is expected to create 200 new jobs and builds on an existing partnership with Serco, which has been responsible for education services in the borough since 2001. The company will be responsible for education and training services to Walsall's 119 schools which have some 50,000 pupils. It will also manage special education needs and the borough's Education Development Centre.