EDUCATION chiefs in York are celebrating an £8 million project that will lead the way for schools across the country.

The new flagship children's centre at Hob Moor in Acomb will be the first of its kind in the country to house a special school and mainstream primary school under one roof.

The new building will replace Hob Moor Primary School and Hob Moor Oaks special needs school. Each will have separate head teachers, staff and classes.

Coun Carol Runciman, City of York Council's executive member for education, said she hoped the scheme would help "promote understanding" among the youngsters.

The centre, which is being built by Clugston, will also have a new Sure Start and family centre unit.

Work began in January replacing both Hob Moor and Hob Moor Oaks, in Acomb, along with St Oswald's, in Fulford, and St Barnabas, in the Leeman Road area under a £15.5 million Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme.

Split across three separate sites, the schools will cater for 1,100 youngsters and support local communities with a completion date set for March 2006. These will include neighbourhood nurseries, early-years units, sports pitches, a new library for Fulford, Sure Start and social services family centre.

All three schools will be built and run by the Hull-based Sewell Group, which has signed a 30-year PFI partnership deal with City of York Council and the Co-operative Bank to deliver, manage and maintain the schools.

The PFI scheme works like a mortgage - the council borrows the cash from the company and pays it back over 25 years. Everything from school dinners to the cleaning will be provided during that 30 years by the company. Teachers, however, will still be appointed in the usual way.

On all three sites it is now possible to see how the schools will look when completed, and to see what exciting improvements they will offer to educational facilities for York's children.

Recently Coun Runciman visited St. Barnabas, Hob Moor and St Oswald's, and discussed progress.

She said: "What I saw was impressive.

"These three schools will break new ground, not only for education in York, but will also lead the way for schools across the country, particularly in the integration of mainstream children with those with special needs."

Updated: 10:34 Monday, July 04, 2005