THREE secondary schools are celebrating today after it was announced that they will share £57.6m of government funding to renew their buildings.
Darlington Council put together a bid earlier this year to the Government’s Building Schools for the Future fund, to transform Hurworth, Longfield and Branksome schools.
The money means that all of the Borough’s secondary schools will have been rebuilt or remodelled in the last four years.
Despite the schools’ success and popularity, all three have older buildings which are increasingly unsuitable for modern education.
Last year all of them made emergency closures as a result of problems with heating systems and electricity or gas supplies.
The money will allow each school to be significantly rebuilt, with some existing buildings retained and modernised.
The work will include providing Longfield, which has Sports College status, with state-of-the-art sports facilities and all three schools will get new facilities available to the community and for teaching Diplomas.
Facilities for children with special education needs will also be improved at the three schools.
Hummersknott, Haughton and Carmel RC schools will also receive some of the funding to update and improve ICT systems.
Plans will now be drawn up with construction work at the schools expected to start in 2011.
They all have sites big enough to take new builds or remodelling work without disrupting the education of pupils, who will continue to attend school on site.
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