Education Reporter Chris Hewitt reports on the likely cost of the schools shake-up and how the money will be generated.

The total cost of Bradford's school shake-up could be as high as £100m - but would reap an annual saving of more than £4m to plough back into classrooms.

Rough calculations have been made by Bradford education authority and have been published in today's report, which details the proposals for change from a three-tier system of first, middle and upper schools to a two-tier structure of primary and secondary schools.

The report contains a list of the district's schools and how each one will be affected by the review.

Extensions to the remaining schools in Bradford plus the building of new sites is expected to cost anywhere in the region of £78m to £130m.

A further cost of £15m is estimated for alterations and furnishings but the education authority would sell off redundant sites, recovering about £25m.

An extra £20m will be generated by other partners in the reorganisation, such as the Church of England Diocese, the Muslim Association and the grant-maintained sector, which is financed directly through the Funding Agency.

One of the major savings will be in getting rid of old and expensive buildings in Bradford. Undercliffe Middle, which needed £600,000 spent on it for urgent repairs, will go.

The authority predicts it will save £3.7m a year in building costs alone.

The shake-up will also facilitate the reduction of the budget protection paid out to small schools.

The number of small schools, currently 114, will be cut by two-thirds, eliminating much of this extra cost which accounts for nearly two per cent of the overall schools budget annually.

Small school casualties include Bolton Lane First which has less than 90 pupils, Oldfield First, near Keighley, with about 38 children on roll, and Stocks Lane First in Queensbury with about 90 pupils.

Most of the cash required for changing the system to two-tier will have to be borrowed and this requires permission from the Department for Education.

The authority will have to prove to the DFEE that sufficient savings - about eight per cent of the annual building loan - can be made by the expenditure.

Other bids are being made to secure money through the Government's New Deal for Schools initiative and ways of raising additional funding through private partnerships is being explored.

Education chairman Councillor Jim Flood said: "Many buildings which are in poor repair will be removed and school buildings and classrooms will be better tailored to the needs of teachers and pupils.

"More of the total education budget will be available for staffing, equipment and resources."

The intention is to adapt the existing schools in Bradford to create better facilities for their students.

A new secondary school on the Clock House playing fields in Manningham will feature state-of-the art information and communications technology.

It has already been billed as a flagship school for the LEA's £12m Edunet 2000 initiative, which aims to link up classrooms to the National Grid for Learning with the latest in hi-tech gadgetry.

There will also be better sports and recreational facilities and up-to-date science labs and technology workshops.

Deputy education chairman Councillor Suzanne Rooney said: "We want teachers to be able to concentrate 100 per cent on teaching and professional development.

"These changes will create more resources, better accommodation and better equipment.

"We are gearing up our schools to meet the challenges of the next century and parents, teachers and pupils will all be the winners in this new system."

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