A DILAPIDATED school will be completely rebuilt after education bosses pledged to splash millions of pounds on new state-of-the-art facilities.

The Government announced on Monday that it is in talks with three contractors over pulling off a major renovation at Reading Girls' School, in Whitley, by 2016.

The plans will see almost all of the school's run down Northumberland Avenue site bulldozed and replaced with bright, modern classrooms for its 1,050 students.

The work will be funded by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), which is part of the Department for Education.

Reading East MP Rob Wilson welcomed the news and said: “I am extremely pleased that the Education Funding Agency (EFA) has approved investment to rebuild Reading Girls’ School.

"The current buildings are outdated and in very poor condition so I am sure that the students, staff and parents will be thrilled with this excellent news. It will give the whole area a boost and is yet more substantial and cost effective investment in education in Reading East.”

The spending spree will be bankrolled by the Government's flagship Priority School Building Programme, which will see 261 of the nation's crumbling schools rebuilt by 2017.

Headteacher Viv Angus said: “I am delighted that at last the students will have a school building of which they can be proud. The new premises will be built alongside the current buildings so that a smooth transition can take place before the old buildings are demolished. The next key milestone is the selection of a bidder which is expected to happen by Easter next year.”

* Read our interview with Reading Girls' headteacher Viv Angus in Thursday's Chronicle