SCHOOLS in Greater Manchester have been given a £38 million Christmas present from the government.

Schools minister Catherine Ashton announced that the north west would share in £90m capital investment next year £25m for state schools in Greater Manchester and £13.4m for voluntary aided schools in the area.

One scheme is a new sports hall at Bury Church of England High School, providing much needed space for physical education.

Stable

Ms Ashton said the new cash was part of an £8.5 billion package of investment in school buildings in England over the next three years.

''One of the keys to improving school standards is ensuring that classrooms and schools are well maintained and well equipped to provide pupils with a stable learning environment,'' she said.

The £90m investment for the north west is £14m more than the current year.

The cash approved for Greater Manchester is: Bolton £4.1m, Bury £542,000, Manchester £2.2m, Oldham £1.2m, Rochdale £1m, Salford £6.1m, Stockport £1.8m, Tameside £1.5m, Trafford £1.4m and Wigan £5.1m. There is also cash for voluntary aided schools: Bolton £1.6m, Bury £876,000, Manchester £4.6m, Oldham £2.2m, Rochdale £423,000, Salford £478,000, Stockport £588,000, Tameside £676,000, Trafford £452,000 and Wigan £1.8m. The schemes for voluntary aided schools include a new science/arts/drama section in St Pauls Roman Catholic High School, Manchester; a new sports hall in the Blue Coat Church of England School, Oldham; new sports halls in St Ambrose Barlow RC High and St Patricks RC High, both in Salford.

• Two Roman Catholic high schools, St Ambrose Barlow in Swinton and St Patricks in Eccles, will get £900,000 each to build new sports facilities.

Environment

Cash will be made available for other schools to carry out repairs and do modernisation work including new facilities like laboratories.

The city's education spokesman Councillor Keith Mann said: ''This investment will significantly improve the environment, the condition of schools and contribute to improving attainment.''

In the meantime, the council is bidding for £41.5 million through the Private Finance Initiative to carry out improvements at three high schools - Buile Hill, Hope and Harrup Fold.