Copland and Alperton community schools are considered to be among those in the worst condition nationally

Two schools in Brent have been awarded millions of pounds to be rebuilt.

Copland and Alperton community schools were told they would get the money today after Brent Council applied to the Department of Education earlier this year.

The Priority School Building Programme builds or rebuilds schools in the worst condition in the country.

It is not known exactly how much each school will get but it is estimated that it will cost �18 million to rebuild Copland and �17 million to rebuild Alperton.

Both schools, along with Newman Catholic College, in Harlesden, and Queen’s Park Community School, in Queen’s Park, lost millions of pounds in funding when the Building Schools for the Future fund was scrapped by the coalition government in 2010.

When making the application, the council had to prioritise the school buildings in Brent which they thought were in the worst condition and which had not received any major investment in the last 15 years.

Graeme Plunkett, headteacher at Copland, said: “I am absolutely delighted. This gives us an opportunity to reshape the learning environment and to create a school fit for the 21st century. It is a real lift for everyone is and is long overdue.”

While Maggie Rafee, headteacher at Alperton, said: “This is absolutely amazing news for the children.

“The school has gone from strength to strength in recent years and now we will have buildings as outstanding as our students. I want to thank Brent Council for all the effort they have put into this bid.”

Both Copland and Alperton schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s and are rapidly deteriorating.

Classrooms are not fit for modern day teaching and buildings are fully accessible for pupils with physical disabilities.

Cllr Mary Arnold, lead member for children and families, said: “It’s wonderful news that we secured long overdue investment for both of these schools.

“We are going to be able to provide high quality fit-for-purpose educational facilities as well as extra school places.”

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, praised the children of the schools as being the key to their securing the funding. He said: “Real credit should go to the children of the schools. In October 2010 hundreds of pupils joined hands across over a mile between the two schools in what was the largest public protest the Borough has ever seen.”