Funds for 'worst building' Richard Lee Primary School

Richard Lee Primary School pupils presented a petition to Downing Street calling for building repairs

A school building in Coventry described by the schools minister "as one of the worst" he had seen is among seven in the city which will receive funding.

Richard Lee Primary School in Wyken is among 261 schools in England which will be refurbished or rebuilt under the <link> <caption>Priority School Building Programme</caption> <url href="http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/a00209336/priority-school-building-programme" platform="highweb"/> </link> .

Head teacher Nicola Harwood said it was "great news" but she hoped it meant the school could be completely rebuilt.

In Warwickshire, Queen Elizabeth School in Atherstone will receive funds.

The Priority School Building Programme has a £2bn budget for work to be carried out over five years.

A total of 587 applied for the scheme, which is aimed at rebuilding the most dilapidated schools.

Last July, parents and pupils from Richard Lee Primary School delivered a petition to Downing Street calling for the building to be repaired.

The petition, signed by about 3,000 people, said action was necessary because the school had problems with leaking roofs and damp.

Last month, Schools Minister Nick Gibb toured the building and said it was clear it was in a bad condition.

'Future generations'

The Department for Education has not said how much each school will receive, but instead listed schools which will have "their condition needs met".

It said it will write to schools with more information, and Ms Harwood said she wanted to see the "finer details".

"We know structurally that we need a rebuild - that's our concern," she said.

"So we need enough money to make sure that the building will be structurally sound for future generations coming to Richard Lee."

All seven schools which applied for funding in Coventry were successful.

The other six are:

• Alice Stevens School

• Ernesford Grange

• St Thomas Moore Catholic Primary

• Whitmore Park Primary

• President Kennedy School

• Wyken Croft Primary

Queen Elizabeth School was one of two schools in Warwickshire which had applied for funds, but the only one that was successful.

The programme replaces Labour's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme, which was controversially cancelled by the Education Secretary Michael Gove.