PRIMARY schools are to benefit from £285million over 15 years as part of a national scheme to build or renovate schools.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is to be handed up to £5million a year to revamp half the borough's primary schools from 2009.

Schools to be targeted are those in deprived areas, those in a poor state of repair and new schools may be built to take account of demographic changes.

Lancashire County Council bosses were unable to say how much schools in Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn, Rossendale, and the Ribble Valley are likely to get.

But a spokesman for the council estimated it would get £14million a year to be shared out across the county.

The money from government is allocated to councils on a deprivation formula, which officials at Blackburn with Darwen estimate equates to £5million a year.

Coun Maureen Bateson, Blackburn with Darwen Council's children's education boss, said that due to an extensive capital school programme over the past nine years many of the borough's schools had already been upgraded.

One stumbling block in the scheme, said Coun Bateson, could come from the fact that church schools will have to find 10 per cent of the costs of any revamps to their buildings.

There are about 60 primary schools in the borough, of which about a third are church schools.

The money will be given to schools which agreed to be involved in the Government's eight six agenda, which will see schools open from 8am to 6pm to give parents a helping hand with child care.

"It will not benefit all schools, as it's only for 50 per cent, and not every school may be prepared to provide the eight six agenda," added Coun Bateson.

Recent projects Blackburn with Darwen has overseen include the new Holy Trinity Primary School in Darwen and the £3million primary school on land at the heart of the Fernhurst estate, Blackburn, and The Redeemer School which opens in September.

Coun Bateson said the council was also putting together a fresh submission for money under the Building Schools for the Future programme, which will see the borough's secondary schools rebuilt.

The council hopes to be involved in wave four of the programme which starts in 2008, if that fails it will have to wait two more years for the additional millions.