The second phase of the district’s ambitious school rebuilding programme is now the biggest, single project in the country at £171.5 million, with the money set to be released later this month.

Partnerships for Schools, the non-departmental public body set up to deliver the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme with local authorities, said Bradford Council’s funds would be signed off in August.

It is the first declaration of confidence from the partnership that the final agreement will soon be approved.

Greenhead High School, in Keighley, together with Beckfoot School, in Bingley, and Grange Technology College and Hanson School, both in Bradford, will be re-built with the creation of three secondary special schools and a Hearing Impaired Unit at Hanson.

The cost of the scheme was also outlined for the first time.

According to the partnership, capital expenditure for phase two totals £171.5 million, which is a combination of central government funding and Bradford Council’s contribution.

A further £43.5m will be released as Private Finance Initiative credits.

A spokesman for Partnerships for Schools said: “We anticipate financial close for the next phase of Bradford’s BSF scheme to take place in August.

“Due to an early works agreement building work has, however, already begun and as such the four schools remain on track to open in March 2011.”

Rebuilding work was due to start at the school sites in February but the project was delayed, with the economic climate blamed for the hold up. Cindy Peek, the council’s deputy director for services to children and young people, said: “We are very close to financial closure for phase two and we are in the final stages of sign-off with the funders. This is the largest project within Building Schools for the Future nationally and the biggest project to date.”