The news that two crumbling city schools are to be razed to the ground and rebuilt is to be welcomed.

Wood Farm and Bayard's Hill primary schools will become the envy of Oxford if a £13m scheme becomes a reality.

But therein lies a big if.

Oxfordshire County Council's ambitious proposals rely on securing Government cash. And that is no mean feat.

Last month, we reported how County Hall had failed in its attempt to get a slice of a £4m pot that would have seen a raft of improvements for cyclists across the city.

County Hall has finite resources and some argue that cyclists are not a priority.

We have reported before on the ailing state of some of our school buildings, so that investment is even being considered is good news.

The programme forms part of a wider package of improvements, which will see schools in other parts of the county refurbished.

All this should be music to the ears of teachers, parents and pupils because bricks and mortar and the fabric of schools play an important part in the learning process.

And in Oxfordshire, educational attainment has been poor for too long.

The county council, as the local education authority, is playing catch-up in terms of trying to turn round some schools' poor GCSE results.

Let us hope a multi-million-pound investment in these primary schools leads to improvements at exam time at secondary schools, where the problem seems to lie.

What is happening at Peers School in Oxford, with the dawn of a new city academy, is controversial, but could signal a new era in learning.

There is much to be optimistic about. But before we crack open the champagne, let us hope the cheque is signed and put in the post first.