ONE of York's biggest schools plans to raise £1 million to help fund a £4 million development that will see 30-year-old mobile classrooms replaced with a new teaching block.

Huntington School is to start a fundraising drive to raise the cash. A further £1 million is to come from the City of York Council and it is hoped the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) will provide a further £2 million.

Head teacher Chris Bridge said: "Huntington School has 12 mobile classrooms with an average age of 28 to 32 years old.

"They are now in the most terrible condition and need to be replaced.

"The site is extremely crowded we have developed plans to build a three-storey block on the site of the youth club."

The director of education at City of York Council, Patrick Scott, said: "In terms of the renewal of our secondary school building stock this is our top priority because of the number of temporary classrooms that the school has."

The scheme has been backed by Ryedale MP John Greenway, who has written to Schools Minister David Milliband, asking for his support.

Mr Greenway was a governor at the school while he was a member of North Yorkshire County Council and his three children have all attended.

He says there is insufficient space at the school for dance, music and drama.

Some activities have to take place in the corridors and even on the stairs, and he believes the £2 million asked for from the DfES is value for money.

He said: "Neither the LEA nor the DfES have had to find the money to build a new school at secondary level.

"In this respect an investment now of £2 million is by no means excessive, given the cost that would arise if a new school had to be built."

Updated: 12:00 Friday, January 24, 2003