THE race is on for Wey Valley School to find £10,000 by October 4 to gain sports college status.

The school is just short of the £50,000 needed to gain recognition as a centre for sporting excellence, which will also land it an additional £100,000 windfall from the Government's Department for Education and Skills.

A large chunk of the money was provided by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) yesterday with a £25,000 cash boost that will help develop tennis facilities at the school.

Neil Darragh, LTA county development officer, said: "The grant is subject to the school getting sports college status and a number of conditions such as hiring a full- time tennis coach and developing the sport in primary schools, linked with the Weymouth Tennis Club.

"The cash will be used towards building four porous tarmac courts with floodlights on the school premises that will be playable all year round.

"It is a huge benefit because it enables children in the area to have access to a coach, more opportunities to play tennis and a more structured, competitive programme gives students who are very good more provision to reach their full potential.

"We hope that it will also lead to more students going on to make careers in coaching, umpiring or sports development."

Wey Valley pupil Josh Lawes, 13, has been playing since he was six years old.

He said: "It means we will be able to play in school which will encourage more people to get involved with tennis."

Richard Edgeley, head of PE, was also delighted to form the partnership with the LTA and Weymouth Tennis Club. He said: "The LTA grant is really important to us and we will effectively become a satellite for Weymouth Tennis Club.

"Tennis clubs have sometimes been seen as inaccessible in the past and we hope to bridge those links by providing opportunities for young people to get involved in tennis and develop their skills with a full-time coach.

"But we are still working towards the extra £10,000 needed for the grant. We are running a sponsored spell and a parent-teachers association dance, but we still need to hear from any potential sponsors."

If the school is successful in meeting the £50,000 target, it will become a sports college by September next year.

The money will also be used towards building a health related fitness room, which will be accessible to people in Weymouth for sports science testing, equipment for GP referrals and facilities for the disabled and a third project involves converting the current gymnasium into a centre for dance and gymnastics.

Mr Edgeley said: "Sports college status means we need to raise the standards across the school. It will give the school an ethos, which will fit in well with other schools in the Weymouth area to give parents a choice.

"It will also provide recurrent funds of £150,000 over the following four years to help the school deliver its targets by continuous improvements staff levels and resources."

Any groups which would like to donate money or sponsor the school should call Wey Valley on (01305) 817000.