A boy of 15 will appear in court today charged in connection with a £7 million school arson.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will appear before Judge Charles Kemp at Lewes Crown Court for trial charged with arson and burglary.

East Sussex County Council has promised £7 million to rebuild the Tideway School in Southdown Road, Newhaven, following a devastating blaze in April.

The council is still negotiating with loss adjusters over a final settlement but council sources said the final bill could reach £8 million.

Staff and governors want extra millions so the school can be rebuilt rather than having its old buildings repaired.

Newhaven Town Council and the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce have backed headteacher Adrian Money's campaign and a petition has been launched by school governors.

When the fire struck in April, causing damage costing £3 million, the school had just begun a £2 million modernisation programme and had built a new hall and offices.

These were destroyed by the blaze.

Parent and governor David Rogers, county councillor for Newhaven, said governors decided at a meeting to start collecting signatures on a petition.

Norman Mayhew, president of the chamber of commerce, said: "It would be fantastic for Newhaven and the regeneration of the town if, rather than making a half-baked effort to repair what was not the most architecturally-impressive school, we build a state-of-the-art school."