EVERY high school in Kirklees could be rebuilt or refurbished over the next decade - at a cost of £300m.

Council education chiefs will know within weeks whether their ambitious bid to overhaul the district's secondary schools has been successful.

The project would include 12 high and middle schools being rebuilt with the other 20 being completely renovated.

The cash - from the Government's Building Schools for the Future scheme - which will see £2.2bn invested around the country every year until 2014.

Last month, Education Leeds was awarded £222m to build 14 schools.

The four schools in North Kirklees earmarked for replacement are Gomersal Middle, Heckmondwike Grammar, RM Grylls Middle in Cleckheaton and Westfields Pupil Referral Unit in Batley.

The names of the eight schools to be rebuilt in the Huddersfield area have yet to be finalised.

All the other high schools in the district would be refurbished.

Clr John Smithson, council Cabinet member for lifelong learning, said Kirklees was confident the cash would be forthcoming.

He said: "This stems from the fact the Government is making a lot of money available to do this. If we were to embark on this with our own resources we couldn't afford it."

It is expected the project will be carried out by a combination of public-private partnerships and direct public funding.

Clr Smithson said the face of education would change beyond all recognition if the bid was successful.

"Without a shadow of a doubt it outflanks any other education building plan in Kirklees," he said.

Education Leeds submitted its bid in November, followed by Kirklees in December.

Confirmation of the cash could be announced any day.

Options would include looking at completely new sites for schools or building next to existing establishments, to keep classroom disruption to a minimum.