BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has been given £300,000 for 15 projects to upgrade primary school playgrounds in the borough.

The cash is part of £10 million announced for 470 schools in 27 local authorities across England.

The sporting playgrounds programme was launched by schools minister Catherine Ashton.

The money will be used to develop areas for team games such as basketball, cricket, netball and football for both girls and boys; resurfacing and painting playgrounds with safe materials; buying sports equipment such as bats, balls, netballs and basketball hoops, skipping ropes and goalposts and developing quiet areas where children can talk, read and play games.

Ms Ashton said: "This will be a real boost to pupils and parents. The time pupils spend in playgrounds amounts to a significant proportion of their school lives - almost 30 per cent of their school day, before and after lessons and during breaks.

"The sporting playgrounds project will have a strong focus on having fun.

"But it will also help thousands of children get fit and learn important social skills which will both help them to learn in school and make more positive use of their free time."