School in new classrooms bid

The local education authority will forward another submission to secure money to replace the classrooms and build a £4m development to house community and youth space, as well as classrooms.

Mr Bridge said he was hopeful the school would be successful this time around, but if it failed the community would miss out.

The school has campaigned to get rid of 12 mobile blocks which were built in the 1970s.

The wood on some of them is rotting and splitting, the classrooms have holes in them, and the heaters inside them often leave pupils shivering or baking hot.

The school learned in April that an earlier bid for £2 million to replace the classrooms had been rejected by the Government.

It then developed a new bid which includes a plan for the £4 million building.

The plan includes a new teaching block with drama, music and PE centre and new classrooms along with a youth club and offices for outreach youth workers.

Staff and pupils from the school are hoping to raise £1 million to help fund the development, with further cash coming from the council.

Schools minister David Milliband visited the school earlier this year and looked at the buildings, but refused to be pinned down as to whether funding would be granted.

Mr Bridge said: "This bid is even better than the last one and I hope we will be successful.

"Since last year, David Milliband has seen the classrooms although he did not say that we would definitely get the money."

If the school fails in the bid, a scaled-down development will be built with funding from the council.

Mr Bridge said: "That would be sad because the people losing out will be the other users such as the community arts people and the youth club users.

"It will be great if we get the new block because then everybody gains."

Education chiefs will discuss the bid at a meeting of the executive member for education at the Guildhall this evening.

Updated: 08:46 Tuesday, October 21, 2003