EDUCATION bosses have drawn-up a multi-million pound "shopping list" in a bid to overhaul some of Bolton's schools.

It includes the amalgamation of Lostock Park and Stocks Park special schools on a single site and the replacement of Oxford Grove School as a one form entry school on a Shepherd Cross Street site.

Subject to the Secretary of State's approval, merging Lostock Park and Stocks Park would reduce the number of places from 80 to 50. The new Oxford Grove school would include community and library facilities. The plans, covering both the primary and secondary sector, were included in a report to members of Bolton council's education and arts committee.

It will be forwarded to the Government next week in a bid for capital to upgrade and revamp crumbling buildings.

More than £1m would be allocated to replacing roofs at Harper Green, Westhoughton and Turton secondary schools.

A sum of £170,000 has been earmarked to build two new classrooms at Sharples CP School. In recent years the school has 'lost' two classrooms to the visually impaired unit and to a nursery.

And £200,000 has been earmarked to pay for upgrades to school kitchens across the borough.

In past years the amount of cash awarded to the borough has been described as "derisory," covering only a fraction of the total bid. Bolton received just £122,000 in January.

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