The plan would mean all 46,000 secondary school students in the city being taught in hi-tech buildings by about 2015.

Special schools and centres for excluded pupils would also be modernised under the proposals, which Education Leeds hopes to submit early next year.

"We want the best possible resources for all the children and teachers across the city," said Education Leeds's director of planning and environments Jackie Green.

"We are already transforming half of the secondary schools in Leeds. We now have a fantastic opportunity to continue that process to completion from 2010."

At present, Education Leeds is about half-way through a programme to rebuild or refit 14 high schools as part of the Government's Building School for the Future (BSF) scheme.

Nationally, plans to rebuild more schools have been brought forward from 2020 to 2010, with local authorities asked to submit expression of interest.

In Leeds, high schools now earmarked for development include Boston Spa, Wetherby, City of Leeds in Woodhouse, Garforth, Bruntcliffe in Morley, Morley, Woodkirk in Tingley, Royds in Oulton, Abbey Grange in West Park, Guiseley, Horsforth, Otley Prince Henry's and St Mary's in Menston.

Typically, BSF schemes involve private consortiums providing new buildings, which they then own for a contract of about 25 years, providing support services such as catering and maintenance.

Leeds City Council's executive board will be asked to back the plans next Wednesday so that a more detailed scheme could then be drawn up.
Councillors will also be asked to approve the publication of statutory notices to close both South Leeds High in Beeston and Intake High in Bramley next August.

The two schools would then both be reopened as academies, which are independent state schools run in partnership with public or private sector partners.

The executive board will also consider plans to close Mount St Mary's Catholic Primary and send the pupils to nearby Richmond Hill Primary, which would be rebuilt and doubled in size.