WITH a big tick from Whitehall, Leominster’s all-new primary school is on the way thanks to the second time round success of a vital funding bid.

This week, Herefordshire Council learned that it had the money to make the long-planned rebuild of Leomin-ster infants and junior schools on a single site happen.

The Department for Children, Schools, and Families (DCSF) confirmed that it will release £8.3 million in funding to the county over the next two years under the national Primary Strategy for Change (PSC) programme, which supports major building and re-building projects for primary schools.

Most of that £8.3 million will be taken up by the Leominster project and what is left will go to smaller schemes that meet the PSC criteria.

The council’s cabinet backed the scheme over three others last summer having heard that it offered a chance to do something “transformational” for primary provision in a particular area, while saving a significant sum in maintenance costs and raising aspirations in some of the county’s and country’s most deprived wards.

In November last year, however, the Hereford Times revealed that Whitehall had sent the council’s homework back wanting more detail on the case made for Leominster.

This week’s confirmation means the authority has now passed that test, having missed out on the first round of funding.

The council will soon start work with both the infants and junior schools – where the scheme has solid support from governors – on what happens next. Any approved design is expected to have a lifespan of at least 40 years.

Leominster already has a state-of-the-art new secondary school taking shape on the current Minster College site.