THE first meeting to discuss multi-million pound plans to invest in three York schools takes place tonight.

City of York Council's Education and Leisure Directorate has secured a £11.1million government commitment to upgrade school facilities at St Oswald's Primary School, Fulford, Hob Moor Primary School, Acomb and St Barnabas's Primary School, in the Leeman Road area.

The money is coming from the government's Private Finance Initiative and will be used to provide new school buildings and community facilities at each of the three sites.

Proposals will be discussed at ward meetings - starting with the Hob Moor School project, which will be discussed at Westfield Ward Committee at Hob Moor School tonight at 7.30pm. The plan for St Oswald's will be discussed at the Fulford ward committee meeting at St Oswald's School on Thursday November 14 at 7.30pm, and the plans for St Barnabas's School at the Beckfield ward committee at St Barnabas's Church on Tuesday, November 19, at 7.30pm.

Councillor Janet Looker, the council's executive member for education, said: "The city council is absolutely committed to raising the standard of the

learning environment in York's schools and this scheme is just part of a widespread, multi-million pound programme of improvements we have delivered or are seeking to deliver across the city over the last and next few years.

"These three projects are going to deliver wonderful benefits for children in the three wards concerned as well as brand new facilities from which the whole community can benefit. These meetings will explain how the council intends to manage and deliver the modernisation of the three schools over the next three years."

At each ward committee meeting council staff will deliver a presentation on the proposal for each school with officers available to answer questions. The council's PFI project manager, Damon Copperthwaite, said it was extremely important local people came along to the meetings and gave their input. He said: "We want to know from local residents what they think and what concerns them to build it into the final projects."

Updated: 15:07 Wednesday, November 06, 2002