A BOYS' school will be the Bromley borough's first to be rebuilt as part of a Government project.

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is giving Bromley Council £20m to upgrade Langley Park School for Boys as part of its Building Schools for the Future initiative.

It is expected to open by September 2009.

The school, in Hawksbrook Lane, South Eden Park Road, Beckenham, was chosen to be rebuilt after the council assessed bids from across the borough.

Other schools considered for the scheme were Cator Park School for Girls, Kelsey Park Sports College, Kemnal Technology College, Ravens Wood and Newstead Wood School for Girls.

Bromley Council felt Langley Park was most in need of a rebuild because of its poor buildings and facilities.

Most of the teaching is done in 1960s steel-framed buildings and there are 18 mobile classrooms in regular use.

These buildings are in need of major maintenance and the cost over the next 25 years is estimated to be significantly higher than at other schools.

Langley Park headteacher Rob Northcott said: "We are extremely excited about it and have a wish list the length of your arm.

"We are looking forward to being able to improve the whole school."

Portfolio holder for children and young people Councillor Ernest Noad said: "It should be an enormous project for the school. I know they are very excited and welcome it as an opportunity to expand.

"We very much welcome the money for the project and the school will virtually be rebuilt from top to bottom.

"We would also like to put a concert hall on the site for the borough and we will include this as part of the package we will submit to the DfES."

The proposal was agreed at a Bromley Council executive meeting on Monday.

A proposal on how the council will spend the funds must be submitted to the DfES by November 30.

TOP-NOTCH FACILITIES

HEADTEACHER Rob Northcott wants the new Langley Park School for Boys to be equipped to last for many years.

He wants the IT system to be on a wireless network so classrooms can be constantly changed around without having to move cables.

Pupils should also be able to access the network from their homes to do homework.

There is currently only one sports hall and Mr Northcott wants at least one more.

He also says he would like to have at least 12 science laboratories, instead of the 11 the school currently has.

Mr Northcott said: "It is going to be an exemplar school and tick all the boxes with sustainability and renewable energy and still be suitable as a school many years from now."

Building Schools for the Future is a Government initiative to rebuild or renew every secondary school in England over a 10 to 15-year period.