Six secondary schools are to be put on a fast-track programme for much-needed new school buildings.

Beckfoot Grammar, Bingley; Parkside School, Cullingworth; Salt Grammar, Baildon; Grange and Tong schools in Bradford and Queensbneury School will be taken out of the tendering process for the rest of the reorganisation.

And, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal, Bradford Council is considering a controversial private and public partnership to finance the deal.

David Horn, head teacher at Beckfoot Grammar, welcomed the announcement. He said the need for new space was "a matter of urgency".

"In September we will be expanding from 1,100 pupils to 1,600. There will be 500 extra kids and at present we do not have the room for them" he said.

All the schools in the accelerated programme are equally full to the brim and do not have the option of taking over a neighbouring middle school vacated under the reorganisation as an interim measure.

Richard Moore is head teacher at Queensbury School, which is taking in another 600 pupils in the reorganisation.

"We need more classrooms because we just do not have the room on site to accommodate extra numbers," he said.

Mr Moore added that he understood the extension programme would cost in the region of £3 to 4 million.

Bradford's Strategic Director of Education, Diana Cavanagh, said the Council had been asked by the Department of Education and Employment to consider the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) as a way of funding the scheme.

PFI is the controversial method of borrowing cash from the private sector to undertake public works.

After gaining the approval of the Department of Education and Employment, a private company undertakes the work and the capital plus interest is effectively paid back on mortgage terms over about 25 years.

Under the agreement, there is usually an opportunity for further development included in the agreement.

"PFI is something we are looking at," said Ms Cavanagh.

Ms Cavanagh confirmed that the scheme for the six schools would be a separate process from the main reorganisation of Bradford schools from a three-tier to two-tier structure which has hit a cash crisis.

In December, the T&A revealed that the Council was £47 million short of the total needed to see the project through and there are continuing talks with Government officials to thrash out a solution.

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