TWO Lancaster schools have struck it lucky in the Government's latest education cash bonanza.

Willow Lane Primary on the Marsh has been given £500,000 to build a new junior department so the whole school can be situated on one site.

And Ripley St Thomas High School has secured £260,000 from the Government's New Deal to replace five temporary classrooms with a new languages department.

The cash injection was announced by Education Secretary David Blunkett on Tuesday and was welcomed by Lancaster MP, Hilton Dawson, who said he was delighted by the news.

Headteacher at Willow Lane, Mr Derek Lion, said: "We're very pleased. We've tried three times to get the money to have the school all on one site and now we've cracked it. The old building has had its day. The split site was not ideal with the children having to go back and forth across the road. Now the juniors will have easy access to the school field." Commenting on the old school building, which could now be used as a community centre for the Marsh, Mr Lion added: "It would be an ideal building if some money was spent on it. It's got plenty of space plus lots of separate rooms."

Ripley headteacher, Julian Lailey, said: "We've applied for the money for the last three years so this is particularly good news. The temporary buildings have caused us a lot of problems. They are very cold in winter and very hot in summer which made it difficult to control the temperature. The rooms are also very small which made it difficult to create the best learning environment."

The pupils at Willow Lane has been busy fund-raising for homeless children in Romania.

The children were moved by the experiences related to them by Lancaster MP Hilton Dawson, who explained how many of the homeless children are often forced to live in the sewers.

To raise money the children at Willow Lane will be holding a raffle and also a no uniform day which will go to UNICEF'S project in Romania.

Hilton said: "Willow Lane is a brilliant primary school and I was really impressed with the way the children listened to what I had to say."