A government statement in 2014 introduced a £78 million grant for a brand new "massive-scale, ultra-flexible arts house" for the town. Within the publish-warfare period, it was a direct grant grammar faculty (i.e. partially state funded), however it reverted to unbiased status in 1976 after abolition of the direct-grant system. Manchester Metropolitan University was formed as Manchester Polytechnic on the merger of three schools in 1970.