A POOLE school’s fight to hold on to funding for a much-needed upgrade has been taken to Westminster.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid-Dorset and North Poole, called on schools secretary Ed Balls to intervene in the crisis gripping Hillbourne School.

The school had been allocated almost £8 million for its transformation project.

But the Borough of Poole says it has been forced to divert the cash elsewhere to supply extra school places in areas with rising birth rates.

Mrs Brooke now looks set for showdown talks with Vernon Coaker, the minister for schools and learners, over what can be done to safeguard Hillbourne’s funding.

“We cannot let this issue – which is devastating news for Hillbourne – not be properly addressed,” said Mrs Brooke, who first read of the controversy in the Daily Echo.

“Equally, a workable solution to provide for the extra places in other schools must be found.”

Since the first and middle schools amalgamated in 2006, pupils at Hillbourne have been taught in two neighbouring buildings.

The rebuild would have finally united the whole school under one roof and seen the back of the current worn-out buildings.

Due to the baby boom, the council must expand eight other schools to provide 150 new places by September next year.

Borough of Poole strategic director Andrew Flockhart insisted Hillbourne was still a priority and it would move forward “when funding becomes available”.

But after he also admitted there were no guarantees of further funding, the project looked to be on hold indefinitely.

The plans come before the full council on Tuesday, when some answers from the government are likely to have been received.