AN East Lancashire high school split between two separate sites is celebrating a £4 million government windfall to bring staff and pupils under one roof.

Accrington's Moorhead High School, which has buildings in Cromwell Street and Queen's Road West, won more than half the £7.5 million allocated to Lancashire County Council's schools in the latest round of funding announced by Education Minister David Blunkett under the New Deals for Schools scheme.

And although plans have yet to be drawn up and submitted to planning bosses at Hyndburn Council, the ambitious project will include remodelling and extending the Cromwell Street site to provide enough classrooms and facilities for the whole school.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "It will be handled in phases and work will be carried out over three years to consolidate the school into one building.

"The project will include remodelling the building and some extension work and although there are no actual plans at present, detailed discussions will take place now they have the money." Governor Jean Battle said: "It's absolutely brilliant, wonderful.

"We've been complaining about the state of the building and the problems with having two sites for a long time and now there's finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

"This will improve the school and benefit both staff and pupils who will no longer have to ferry between the two sites. We're very pleased."

Announcing more than £61 million worth of grants at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers annual conference in Harrogate, Mr Blunkett said: "I am confident that parents, teachers and pupils will welcome this investment which will bring schools into a modern and fit state to support higher standards of education.

"We are determined to the quality of the environment in which teachers teach and pupils learn and address the scandal of crumbling schools."

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