GAMES lessons at a Farnworth school will never be the same again when a new £1.8million sports hall is completed.

Pupils at the James's CE secondary school will no longer have to put up with draughty corridors and leaky roofs. Instead they will have a state of the art complex including new changing rooms and a purpose-built dance area.

The front of the school will also undergo a complete transformation with a new access area, parking and offices.

The original sports hall was built in 1959 and over the years time has taken its toll.

The school has been promised a new hall for many years.

"In fact it was a standing joke about us getting a new sports hall," said assistant headteacher Roy Coulson.

Now the 1,000-pupil school is applying for planning permission for the go ahead and, once granted, work will start in July.

Head teacher Bob Atkinson, is delighted by the prospect of the new sports hall and said: "Many pupils and their parents both past and present have been promised a new sports hall for many years.

"I am really pleased to announce at last that the sports facility the pupils of this school deserve will now become a reality. The old hall has certainly seen better days. Pupils regularly encounter leaky roofs, draughty corridors as part of their daily sports routine."

The project has been made possible through funding provided by the government together with a substantial contribution from the school governors who had to meet 10 per cent of the cost. The project's completion date is April 2004.