The Building Schools for the Future programme will see an estimated £200 million of government money invested into improving Doncaster's secondary schools.

Proposals were also firmed up to transform three secondary schools, including Conisbrough's Northcliffe, into academies run as a partnership between the council and local businesses.

Northcliffe is currently an 11-16 community school with 732 students attending. The proposal is for an 11-18 academy with a capacity of 825 and an annual admission of 150, including a new sixth form.

However the academy plan is still only a proposal and more behind the scenes talks are to take place between education bosses.

Mexborough School is already being rebuilt under a separate longstanding PFI scheme with corporate partner VINCI Plc, with its new building scheduled to open in the 2008-09 school year. It will continue to be run as a community school specialising in science.

The academy proposals and BSF programme were decided during a meeting at the Mansion House last week between government education chiefs and Doncaster Mayor Martin Winter who agreed to enter into Wave 6 of the national programme.

This will mean building state-of-the-art facilities at school sites across Doncaster and work could start by 2010. This will be followed by a phased programme of construction over the next ten years.

The next major milestone for the scheme will be a more detailed report on what changes are forseen for the future of Doncaster's secondary education.

Mayor Martin Winter said: "This is fantastic news. Following the successful first stage of public consultation and the detailed preliminary work, I am delighted that Doncaster's BSF programme has now officially commenced.

"I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has shared their feedback and expertise with us so far."

He added: "BSF will enable us to deliver a better start for all of Doncaster's young people and open up a wealth of opportunities for everyone in the Borough.

"I look forward to embarking on the next step in this exciting journey as we work together to build a better future for all of Doncaster."