TAVISTOCK College is hoping for a big boost this Christmas — the school could be in line for an investment of almost £2-million, pending an announcement in December.
The Department of Education is considering a multi-million pound Devon County Council bid for improvements at a number of schools and will make its decision known before the end of the year.
Graham Stoate, College vice-principal, said: 'The temporary classrooms have been temporary for a number of years now.
'They have been upgraded but their condition is deteriorating and it's not a satisfactory arrangement by any means — the sooner they are replaced, the better.'
Mr Stoate said the buildings are 'just about serviceable' at the moment but the college 'desperately' needed to replace 'quite large areas' on the campus, particularly to keep up with rising pupil numbers.
'It's not the sort of accommodation that parents and students expect these days and we need to keep pushing the Government and county to make hopefully the right decision as far as Tavistock is concerned,' he said.
Mr Stoate added he was grateful for the support of West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett and local councillors who have highlighted the need for more investment at the college.
Mr Burnett said: 'I know the school well — some of the temporary classrooms are in an appalling condition.
'I have fought hard for over a year now to make Tavistock a top priority — they are desperate for new buildings.'
Mr Burnett said he would be lobbying ministers to ensure levels of funding are maintained so the investment at Tavistock can go ahead.
'It is such an excellent school, I just want to see it go from strength to strength. I pay tribute to the pupils, staff and governors there,' he said.
Roy Cook, Tavistock's representative on the county council, said he had been pushing hard on behalf of the college.
'We have put in an extremely robust bid of about £1.9-million for new buildings at the college.
'This would be another step forward to accommodate the increased numbers at the school — I am just hoping and praying that we will be successful.'
Peter Doyle, spokesman for Devon County Council, said: 'We have made a bid to the government under the annual capital guidelines which amounts to around £15-million across the county, to improve the number of places available for pupils and students. Included within that bid is an additional 300 places at Tavistock College.
'We don't expect to hear an announcement from the Government until just before Christmas — we believe that the arguments we put forward will be compelling but until they tell us we don't know.'