JUNIOR schools in Blackburn and Darwen were today handed a £1 million windfall to build new classrooms.

The local education authority will receive an extra £980,743 to put up the new accommodation by September next year.

There will be two new classrooms at each of Audley Community Junior School, St Michael with St John's Primary, and St Peter's CE School.

An extra classroom will be built at each of Lammack Junior, Lower Darwen Community School, St Matthew's CE Primary, St Stephen's CE Junior, and Turton and Edgeworth CE/Methodist school.

Lancashire County Council gets £167,321 to add a classroom to two wschools in north Lancashire.

Announcing the cash -- £30 million nationwide to build 283 classrooms at 216 junior schools in England -- Schools Minister Catherine Ashton said the extra money would allow eight to 11-year-olds to continue to benefit from smaller classes as they moved up from infants.

She said:"The government's infant class pledge for 2002 for all five, six and seven year olds to be in infant classes of 30 or fewer will be met for the start of the new school year this September.

"To implement this landmark target we made considerable resources available to reduce the size of infant classes which meant that many schools were able to take in more pupils and give more patients their first choice of school.

"We estimate that there are some 12,000 more places now available at popular schools as a result of our infant class size policy.

"The funding for extra classrooms will ensure that the benefits being reaped at the infant stage, where children are learning the basics, are carried through to the junior stage."