EDUCATION bosses have hit out at the Government after Lancashire got a paltry 22 per cent of the money it wanted for new school buildings and improvements.

The county asked for £37 million to modernise old schools and cope with growing demand for classrooms. Instead, it was awarded just £8.16 million.

Some schools, such as St Augustine's RC High School in Billington, St James CE Primary in Clitheroe and Cliviger Holme CE Primary, were given good news that they could go ahead with projects.

But many others that are in dire need of building work now face an uncertain future.

St Augustine's will get £650,000 for new science and technology classrooms which will enable the school to take in more pupils.

"The Ribble Valley is an expanding area and we expect to go from being a school with 940 children at the moment to 1,040 within four or five years," said delighted head teacher Anthony McNamara.

"We are over the moon. We've just had a cracking inspection report and now we've got this news. It's the best Christmas present we could get." St Augustine's has already received a £110,000 grant to build new classrooms and computer rooms in the spring.

Work on the major new building programme is expected to start within a year. Money was also allocated for an extension to St James' CE Primary School in Clitheroe to provide space for an extra 30 pupils and there was also money for additional accommodation at Cliviger Holme Primary.

But Lancashire's education committee chairman Coun Stan Wright was angry that many schools would not be as lucky.

"Lancashire is responsible for more schools than any other local authority in England and many of our schools are in desperate need of improvement and even replacement to meet the needs of the National Curriculum," he said.

"Yet, for the fourth year running our capital allocation from central government will allow us only to put "roofs over heads" for the extra children now entering our schools."

Schools minister Cheryl Gillan said the total amount going to schools for capital projects in 1996 was up by 7.5 per cent.

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