A SCHOOL with ambitions of becoming one of the UKs leading sports colleges is set to get an extra 50,000 to aid the first stage of its transformation.

Darlington Borough Council are likely to release the money to help fund Longfield Schools all-weather football pitch.

The 530,000 floodlit pitch is the first phase in upgrading sports facilities at the school, which has plans in place to create a velodrome and a sports hall.

The new facilities will help the school to deliver sports diplomas, and can also be used by the community after hours and at weekends.

The 52,679 is a grant from the Football Foundation and will support the project. The councils cabinet look set to release the funds at their meeting on Tuesday.

Work on the pitch started in September last year, and it is hoped the fenced pitch will be completed and ready to use by spring this year.

The third generation synthetic pitch will be a boost for the school, which lost out when the coalition Government scrapped the 55bn Building Schools for the Future scheme last summer.

The school had been earmarked for investment under the scheme, with a new school planned for the Longfield site.

But soon after Longfield found out it would no longer be getting a new school, plans for the pitch were formulated using money which had already been committed by the former Labour Government.

Coun Cyndi Hughes, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "It is absolutely fantastic news that the Football Foundation has awarded 52,679 to Longfield Sports College.

The improvements that will be made possible by this additional cash will be for the benefit of young people studying toward the sports diploma as well as for use by the wider school and local community.

"Longfield Sports College will be in an even better position to use the power of sport to improve the lives of young people and to promote community cohesion."

Councillors will discuss the release of the extra money at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Members of the public are welcome to attend.