PUPILS and teachers will benefit when two Bolton schools which have worked in partnership for years are physically linked.

The lower annexe at Rivington and Blackrod High School and Lord Street Primary, in Horwich, have received £625,000 from the Department for Education and Skills to build a joint entrance, shared reception and offices.

There will also be new meeting and training rooms and a large, flexible teaching space big enough for larger groups which can be transformed into an area for youth work and presentations. The link building will allow schools to develop facilities outside the normal school hours for pupils and community groups.

The total cost of the project will be around £725,000 with £50,000 being provided by the local education authority and a further £50,000 by the two schools.

Bolton is one of 18 authorities nationwide chosen to receive Government funding to develop innovative new teaching environments.

Cllr Linda Thomas, Bolton Council's Executive Member for Education, said: "We're very excited about this scheme and the opportunities that it will offer to pupils and teaching staff. It is also a recognition that Bolton remains at the forefront of development with regard to building classrooms for the future".

Olive Fairhurst, Chairman of Governor's at Lord Street Primary School is also looking forward to the project, "I'm highly delighted with the award, it will be good to see an actual physical link made between the two schools, following on from the professional and teaching links that have successfully been established between staff over the last few years".

Work will now take place to firm up the details of the scheme and the new facility should be open and available for use in September 2004.

The DfES is spending £10 million on a series of projects to design and build class rooms and staff rooms in schools across the country under new scheme, Teaching Environments for the Future.

The scheme aims to explore how design can contribute to the Government's workforce reform agenda in which teachers are freed of administrative tasks, and the role and responsibility of support staff is boosted.