A BIG shake-up of education, which could see several of the region's schools bulldozed and rebuilt, was announced last night.

The Government has given the go-ahead for almost £67m of public and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) cash to be made available for the ambitious overhaul in Darlington and east Cleveland.

Under the proposals for Darlington, Haughton Community School, Beaumont Hill Special School and Technology College and Springfield Primary School will be demolished.

The three will be rebuilt on Haughton's Rockwell Road site as part of a bid to integrate special needs and mainstream education. New health and social services facilities will also be opened there.

And Harrowgate Hill Infant School will be rebuilt alongside the existing site of Harrowgate Hill Junior School.

Meanwhile in east Cleveland, the scheme could include the creation of a new £9m Roman Catholic secondary school and primary school in Redcar, as well as millions of pounds worth of refurbishment work at Nunthorpe School, Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough and Bydales School in Marske.

It is also hoped the initiative will provide £8.9m for a new building for Gillbrook Technology College and £1.9m for a new primary school, both in South Bank.

Eleanor Lister, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for education, said "This is an innovative project for Darlington which allows us to build further on our successes of improving schools and raising achievement while at the same time focusing on educational inclusion."

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's lead member for lifelong learning, Coun Ian Jeffrey, stressed its plans were in the early stages.

"Today's announcement is a major achievement for the authority against national competition," he said.

The controversial PFI scheme will involve private companies entering into 25-year contracts with the councils to build new schools, maintain existing buildings and provide services.