MORE than �4million will be spent at two North Somerset schools after construction contracts were awarded yesterday (Tues).

At a meeting of the unitary authority’s executive, plans for work to expand Portishead’s Trinity Primary School and to build an extension to the sixth form teaching block at Backwell School were approved.

At Trinity Primary School, a community hall will be acquired from the Diocese of Bath and Wells and the number of places increased from 210 to 420.

Backwell School will get a new two-storey building to provide three classrooms, a flexible learning break-out space, office and resource room, an assembly theatre, dance studio and sixth form social area.

The total budget for both the project is �4.45million.

At Trinity Primary School, �1.84milllion has been allocated to the new build and �160,000 to the acquisition of the community hall.

The Backwell School project will cost �2.45million with �200,000 coming from the school’s devolved capital budget.

Executive member for children’s services Councillor Jeremy Blatchford said: “These projects will improve both these schools. The contractors deliver high-quality work and I am pleased that both projects will go ahead despite the financial difficulties facing us.”