But a lack of funding and Warwickshire County Council's focus on schools in more deprived areas mean Kineton High School appears unlikely to get much-needed renewal and refurbishment work any time in the foreseeable future

The school was built in 1957 and Julia Morris explained how she is desperate for a complete rebuild in its 50th year.

She said: "I feel frustrated and disheartened by the situation, the bottom line of which is that there's simply not enough money.

"The school was never supposed to last this long. It's worn out, crumbling and it leaks.

"The students, parents and staff are all working really hard to improve the school and doing a great job.

"We have a fantastic ethos and spirit but we deserve a 21st-century building and it is very sad that our students are being deprived of that.

"I think there is a perception that leafy South Warwickshire doesn't need the money but we clearly do.

"We are doing okay here and 'making do and mending' so we're not a priority.

"It seems we are effectively being penalised for making the best of a bad job."

Work started this week on a new £26 million home for North Leamington School and Stratford High School has also been given the go-ahead for a new £4.5 million sixth form block.

Mrs Morris said it was frustrating to see funds go on projects like these when her school is more needy and said it had the worst buildings of any school in south Warwickshire.

Izzi Seccombe, a governor at Kineton High and county councillor responsible for children, young people and families, explained the authority's position.

She said: "The council is caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Our £10 million budget is soon taken up on things like the removal of temporary classrooms and other maintainence schemes. It has to be shared between all primary and secondary schools in Warwickshire.

"Kineton High School is clearly in great need of improvement and three years ago we identified it and North Leamington school as the two most needy.

"We were able to finance the project at North Leamington because we had a capital receipt from sale of property so that is now going ahead which is great news.

"The problem in Kineton is that we do not have a similar fund for the £25 or £30 million needed.

"Stratford High was given preference because of the population growth there. More families mean more children and a need for more school places."

Kineton also missed out on another potential source of funds, the government's Building Schools for the Future programme, as schools in 'deprived' areas in north Warwickshire are given priority.