EAST Lancashire schools are to share in a £41million county-wide boost for new building projects.

The schools will benefit from more than £18million this year followed by £23million next year.

And more than £5million of that will be pumped into East Lancashire where 20 schools have been given the green light to start building.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said the two-year funding package was an unprecedented investment in the region's school buildings and would change the landscape of learning in Lancashire.

County Councillor Alan Whittaker, Cabinet Member for Education and Young People, said: "The strength of our plans for improving school facilities has been shown by the Government's decision to allow the county to control and allocate these funds.It is fantastic news for education throughout East Lancashire. "Providing additional money for school buildings demonstrates our commitment to developing and improving education.

"Significant building projects have been made possible, which will transform the environment in which these children learn."

Neil Tranmer, head teacher of Brunshaw Primary School, Morse Street, Burnley, which got £370,000, said: "This is absolutely fantastic news, we will be able to do an awful lot to improve the buildings with this money."

Schools which will benefit in East Lancashire include:

Hyndburn and Ribble Valley -- St John's, Read, new library, £67,000; Barrow Primary, new hall, office and staff room, £254,000;

Rhyddings High, Oswaldtwistle, library, £280,000

Burnley -- Hapton, ICT room, new staff accommodation and library £71,000;

Heasandford, library and toilets, £90,000;

Brunshaw, rebuild, extend and remove mobile classrooms, £370,000; Ightenhill, office accommodation, £106,000

Pendle -- Gisburn Rd, Barnoldswick, library, ICT room, staff accommodation and remove mobile classroom, £168,000; Roughlee, extension to create staff administration space, £157,000;

Colne Park High, extend staff areas, £168,000; Walton High, upgrade labs, £291,000

Rossendale: Tonacliffe, replace timber building, £280,000;

Crawshawbooth, replace double mobile classroom and redesign smaller classrooms, £448,000; St Paul's Constable Lee, replace mobile classroom and redesign smaller classes, £336,000; Water Primary, new staff accommodation and head's secretary's office, library and ICT room £168,000; Broadway, ICT room and redesign undersized classroom £196,000; Edenfield, new office, resource area and classroom £56,000; Bacup Northern, small hall, staff accommodation and special educational needs room, £112,000; Haslingden High, three science labs £157,000.