School building scheme scrapped by government

THE �700m dream of new school buildings in Norfolk died this week as the government scrapped a massive education building programme.

THE �700m dream of new school buildings in Norfolk died this week as the government scrapped a massive education building programme.

The end of the road for the �55bn Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme to rebuild or revamp every high and special school means heartache for millions of children - including hundreds of thousands in Norfolk and Suffolk.

In Norfolk, schemes to replace or overhaul 62 schools will definitely not go ahead, leaving teachers and youngsters to face many more years in existing buildings, some of which are rundown and out of date.

Education secretary Michael Gove, who pulled the plug on BSF in parliament on Monday, would only say that funding for the flagship schemes was 'under discussion' and would be reviewed on a 'case by case basis'.

Mr Gove said in parliament that BSF had been 'characterised by massive overspends, tragic delays, botched construction projects and needless bureaucracy'.

But shadow education secretary Ed Balls called it a 'shameful' move, while one union said it would condemn children to a 'Dickensian education'.