A £400 million scheme to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in the district remains on track, despite problems in other authorities.

Bradford is one of 72 local authorities involved in the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

The flagship project to rebuild or refurbish all of England's secondary schools by 2020 has been hit by delays in other districts.

But regeneration bosses behind Bradford's scheme say their tight timetable remains on schedule.

Bradford is one of only five local authorities throughout the country to have reached a position where they can start building work.

The district-wide BSF scheme was officially launched yesterday at City Hall.

Last month, Bradford Council signed a contract to start phase one of the project with consortium Integrated Bradford.

Building work on the first stage has already begun. It will see Tong School, Salt Grammar and Buttershaw High demolished, rebuilt and reopened by September next year.

Phase two, costing around £135 million, will see three new special schools built on mainstream sites at Greenhead in Keighley, Beckfoot School in Bingley and Grange Technology College. All three schools will also be refurbished.

Regeneration bosses say they remain on track to finish phase two by September 2009.

At the launch, BSF Bradford project manager Matthew Cooper said: "We have got to make sure that we get the right outcome and in terms of phase two our focus is now on 2009. We are on schedule."

Last month Government officials overseeing the nationwide programme acknowledged the delays and told MPs there was a risk it could be damaged by a lack of expertise.

Phase three will see 13 schools which are not part of the first two phases rebuilt at a cost of around £200 million.

They are Belle Vue Boys, Belle Vue Girls, Bingley Grammar, Carlton Bolling, Hanson, Ilkley Grammar, Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, Nab Wood, Oakbank, Queensbury and Thornton Grammar.

Wyke Manor and Rhodesway will be included if they do not become part of the Government's city academy programme.

Refurbishment work will begin at every secondary school in Bradford by 2011.

The Diocese of Leeds, which runs Catholic schools in the district, has announced it is to transfer Yorkshire Martyr's Catholic College to Bradford Council, to "ensure there are sufficient places for pupils in the area".

The diocese had outlined plans to close down St Joseph's Catholic College in Manningham, St Bede's Grammar School in Heaton and Yorkshire Martyr's and replace them with one super-school, spread across the St Bede's and St Joseph's sites.

The new school, now set to incorporate only St Bede's and St Joseph's, is set to open in 2009, a year later than originally planned.

e-mail: dan.webber@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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