CORNWALL Council's bid for Government funding to transform all its 31 secondary schools has been approved in principle.

The Government confirmed last week that Cornwall has been formally admitted into the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, a nationally funded initiative which promises to replace or refurbish each of the country's 3,500 secondary schools over the next 15 years.

It has been welcomed as a once in a lifetime opportunity by leading councillors and officers in the county.

Ultimately this means the county could secure up to £500-million to ensure that every secondary school in Cornwall reaches the same standard.

Cornwall's bid splits its 31 secondary schools into six 'waves', based on social and economic deprivation and GCSE performance. Callington Community College is in the fifth wave.

Council Leader Alec Robertson said: 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform secondary schools in Cornwall.  

'The BSF programme is not just about providing new school buildings, however, it is about raising education standards and achievement — whether through improved buildings, environment, technology or new ways of teaching and learning. 

'It is also about raising the aspirations of children and our communities and providing a stepping stone to greater community achievement into the future.'