SCHOOLS in East Lancashire are to get more than £1m to give them better facilities for learning and healthy living.

A variety of projects including school kitchens, sports pitches, new classrooms and even new loos have been approved in Lancashire County Council's schools opportunity fund programme.

The improvements are part of a drive to support science/design and technology, outdoor facilities, learning areas - especially when they can be combined with community use - and healthier eating.

Schemes include £325,000 on replacing prefabricated buildings at Bowland High School, Clitheroe; £51,000 at White Ash Special School, Accrington, for a secure fenced outdoor play area, and £110,000 at Broadway Primary School, Rossendale, to build a large learning area for the reception year one classes, to improve design and technology and to make the school more available for community use.

Schools were invited to put in bids of between £10,000 and £100,000 for a share of the county's £1.5m opportunity fund. They were then required to at least match the amount with funding of their own, resulting in more than £5m worth of proposed investments.

This is the second year running the county council has allocated £1.5m to schools towards match-funding opportunity fund bids.

County Councillor Alan Whittaker who has responsibility for the fund, said: "I am very pleased to see the range and scale of these projects which will make substantial improvements to our schools."

The rest of the local projects are: St. Augustine's RC High, Billington, to upgrade field drainage system, £207,129; Rhyddings Business & Enterprise School Accrington, to adapt the entire ground floor of the building to enhance vocational provision, £106,400; Belthorn Foundation Primary Blackburn, to refurbish our kitchen facilities, £58,900; Hapton CE/Methodist Primary to build an extension to front entrance of school building to enable disabled access, reception area and new head's office and internal reorganisationm £93,440; Colne Lord Street Primary, building work to enable a year 2 class to move to a more suitable classroom space and allowing the provision of a dedicated learning mentors room and SEN/small group room, £22,220; Primet High School, Colne, to refurbish and enhance drama studio/media rooms, £61,000.00; Fearns Community Sports College Bacup, to extend dining facilities to meet new legislation and build capacity to provide healthy meals for all pupils on site, £318,000.