SCHOOLS across Darlington borough are to undergo improvement work after council officials announced a substantial cash injection.

Education buildings in the town and surrounding villages are to benefit from the work, which will mainly be carried out during the summer holidays.

The borough council announcement came days after work started on building the £5m Harrowgate Hill Primary School.

Officials said work on a £300,000 music and drama suite at Hurworth School, Maths and Computing College was due to be completed soon.

The project has been continuing for some time and will be complemented by a £175,000 maths resource centre.

A further £200,000 is being invested in upgrading of classrooms. An extension with staff facilities will cost £120,000.

Elsewhere, the renewal of the fire alarm system at Branksome Comprehensive School will be carried out at a cost of £92,000.

Work to upgrade fire alarms and lighting at Abbey Infant, Mowden Junior and Gurney Pease, Mount Pleasant, Hurworth and Heathfield primary schools will be carried out at a cost of £182,000.

About £34,500 is to be spent at High Coniscliffe Primary School to replace part of the building's heating system.

Officials said most of the work would be carried out during the summer holiday period to minimise disruption to pupils.

Education spokesman Councillor Stephen Harker said: "We have an ongoing repair and maintenance programme for our schools and we work with the schools to prioritise the work that needs to be done.

"We have invested well in excess of £20m in school buildings since we became responsible for delivering education services in Darlington in 1997."

Meanwhile, a council spokesman said a viewing platform had been installed at the site of a £35m education village, in Haughton Road.

"That work is going very well and we're on schedule to open in September 2005," he said.