A BID for £2.3m to build two new schools in North Yorkshire was launched this week.

North Yorkshire County Council is applying for government funding next year to replace existing primary schools in Middleton Tyas and Crakehall, near Bedale. The projects would cost £1.1m each.

Middleton Tyas CE primary, a small Victorian school, already has outline planning permission to develop part of its sports field. Headmaster Mr John Ridley said: "A new school like this would be wonderful for the village because it would solve a lot of our problems.

"On the other hand, we would be sorry to lose contact with the old building. It is a wonderful old building but it still doesn't have a hall or a kitchen on site. And we still have a number of parking problems that perhaps a new school could address."

Both the Middleton Tyas scheme and the Crakehall project regularly feature in the council's annual list of proposals, but have been repeatedly knocked back by Whitehall.

Other high priority projects in the funding bid include a £1m scheme for science labs and a sports hall at Easingwold school and £500,000 for additional teaching and specialist accommodation at Bedale high.

Richmond and Thirsk secondary schools could receive about £500,000 each and Spennithorne CE primary near Leyburn could get a £250,000 hall.

North Yorkshire County Council should find out if the bids have been successful by mid-December.