Schools across the district were today celebrating a £10.6 million sport and leisure windfall.

New sports halls, pitches and other facilities will sprout up across the district thanks to £8 million from lottery cash.

And a further £2.6 million is being split between seven primary schools to create new arts blocks and sports centres.

Four lucky secondary schools have hit the jackpot, gaining £1 million each, while another 23 schools were today celebrating successful bids to the New Opportunities Fund, which channels lottery cash to good causes.

A total of £8 million was allocated to the Bradford district to enhance school sports facilities.

Schools were involved in intense competition to get a share of the cash. Council chiefs received 88 rival bids which together added up to £44 million of proposals, but could only afford to pick 27 of them.

Major grants of £1 million each go to Holy Family RC at Keighley, Buttershaw High, Salt Grammar at Baildon and Belle Vue Boys', where new facilities will be shared with three neighbouring schools - Belle Vue Girls', Thorn Park School for the Deaf and Heaton Primary.

The cash will pay for a new purpose-built full size sports hall on the Belle Vue campus which will transform the sports curriculum at all four schools.

The Bradford and District Table Tennis Association is also a partner in the scheme providing it with a central base for the first time.

Bruce Berry, head teacher at Belle Vue Boys' School, said: "We haven't been able to play much cricket at all because our pitch is built on a tip, the ground has sunk, and it's dangerous because there's a dip in the middle. In very poor weather the football pitches are unusable as well. The new hall means we can hold cricket nets indoors in winter and play small-side football to develop particular skills.

"It will also give our pupils more opportunities to try different sports, with better facilities."

Jeremy White, development officer for Bradford and District Table Tennis Association, added: "We are delighted, we have been looking for a home in Bradford for four or five years. The Belle Vue schools have 11 feeder primary schools which means we can potentially reach 5,300 students - our aim is to get tables and coaching into all those schools."

In a further multi-million pound boost announced today, seven Bradford primary schools have won a share of £2.6 million from lottery-based funding which will lead to roughly £400,000 of improvements in sports and art facilities at each school.

Phil Green, director of education at Bradford Council, said: "The schemes will improve the learning and leisure opportunities available to pupils, and indeed local communities."

The money has come from the Department for Education and Skills' Spaces for Sports and Arts programme.

Holy Family RC, Buttershaw High and Salt Grammar are all intending to spend their grants on sports halls which would be available for community use in the evenings.

John Midgley, head teacher at Buttershaw, said: "Our deputy head Dave Morgan has put in a lot of work trying to bid for money and has suffered a number of disappointments in the past, so we are obviously very pleased. This area is in desperate need of sport facilities."

Conor Davies, head teacher at Holy Family in Keighley, said: "We are hoping to build a four-court sports hall, it's something the school has needed for years and years."

At Horton Park Primary school head teacher Sarah Dawson welcomed the double boost for her school - with £40,000 from the New Opportunities Fund and £468,000 for an arts block in a joint bid with St Oswald's.

The sport grant will be used to equip the school playground, which is currently bare tarmac.

"We are hoping to put in lots of really good equipment, and make it open after school as a supervised resource," she said.

Education section