COUNCIL leaders last night agreed to bid for millions of pounds of Government money to transform a school.

Hummersknott School and Language College, in Darlington, will get a £15m revamp if the application to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is successful.

But the decision to apply for the money from the department's Targeted Capital Fund will undoubtedly fuel speculation about which secondary schools in Darlington are facing closure.

In December 2003, a Darlington Borough Council report revealed that falling pupil numbers meant some secondary schools in the town would have to shut or merge.

If Hummersknott's bid is successful, it will almost certainly be safe from closure.

Haughton Community School is already safeguarded by its role in a new £33m education village, and Carmel RC Technology College will not close, according to the report.

That leaves Branksome, Eastbourne, Longfield and Hurworth now considering their futures.

Margaret Asquith, the council's director of children's services, said: "Opportunities to bid for Targeted Capital Funding come around every two years. Hummersknott is clearly seen as the school with the highest level of building need, and we have taken the opportunity to bid for the money that will see a dramatic improvement in this school.

"Any other comments about school closure are pure speculation and irrelevant to the task in hand, which is to bid for money to improve one of our schools."

The borough council agreed unanimously last night to apply for £12m from the DfES, and to provide £3m from its budget for work.

Councillor Chris McEwan, the authority's cabinet member for children's services, said the condition of the school was affecting education.