THE news of a huge shake-up of education in Darlington has been welcomed by the community.

But educational trade unions are opposed to the controversial funding for the project.

As reported in Wednesday's edition of The Northern Echo, three schools in the town are to be demolished and rebuilt on a single site.

With £21m of public and private finance, Haughton Community School, Beaumont Hill Special School and Technology College and Springfield Primary School will be knocked down and rebuilt on the site of the Haughton school.

Meanwhile, Harrowgate Hill Infant School will be moved on to the same site as the junior school.

The news has been met with delight by governors and councillors in the area.

Beaumont Hill governor Bob Carnell said having special and mainstream schools on the same site would help the children integrate.

He said: "It is fantastic news. Darlington is now leading the country with integration and helping our children with special needs become a real part of the community."

Haughton East councillor Veronica Copeland said the whole of the community welcomed the plan.

She said: "The new schools, along with the social services and health centres, will provide a host of new facilities for the community."

Although both Labour and Conservatives in Darlington have welcomed the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding for the scheme, there has been concern expressed by the teaching unions.

Previously, Mike McDonald from the National Union of Teachers' regional office in the North-East, suggested that private funding could lead to advertising being introduced to the classroom.

He said: "Private companies are profit-making organisations and education does not make a profit."

But reacting to the scheme in Darlington, Terry Bladen, from the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers, said private funding was a necessary evil in the town.

He said: "We would prefer PFI and schools did not exist, but it is a fact of life. Our concern is that in the long term it costs more than borrowing the money up front. But Darlington does miss out on Government grants, so would probably not get this money another way.