THE deadline for a multi-million pound bid for funding to completely redevelop a Darlington school has been put back.

Earlier this week, the borough council revealed that it was preparing to ask the Department for Education and Skills for £12m to revamp Hummersknott School and Language College.

The authority would provide a further £3m towards the project, using cash generated from the sale of surplus school land in the town.

One building to the rear of the premises, in Edinburgh Drive, would be demolished, but the bulk of the work would involve entirely refurbishing the interior of the main school building.

The council was initially planning to have its bid submitted before a Government-set deadline of April 28, but a spokesman said yesterday that the deadline had been put back to May 27.

"It will now be about that time when we will put our bid to the Government," he said.

The council was previously hoping to secure funds under the Government's Building Schools for the Future scheme, but were disappointed when Darlington was placed in wave eight of the programme.

This would mean that the earliest money would be available to schools in the town would be 2013.

But with no guarantee that money could be secured even then, education officials said they wanted to "explore all potential funding opportunities".

The bid being prepared is seeking cash from the department's Targeted Capital Fund scheme.