Insider Media Limited

The green light has been given for the new build and refurbishment of three schools in Derby after the city’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) capital funding was approved. However, one Derby-based project has not been given the go-ahead following major cuts to the government scheme.

Derby City Council said that a combined £59m of building projects will go ahead in January 2011,but the case for Lees Brook Community School has not yet been approved. The council says it “will await the outcome of that review and in the meantime will continue to work to hard to secure capital funding for Lees Brook Community School".

The complete new build of Noel Baker Community School and St Martin’s Special School will receive £39m of funding and are due to open in September 2012. The refurbishment of Derby Moor Community Sports College, which has been approved £20m of funding, will also go ahead.

Councillor Evonne Williams, cabinet member for children and young people, said “We are very pleased that capital funding has been allocated for the sample schools, and will now be working hard to build these schools as quickly as possible with Balfour Beatty Education. This funding will provide fantastic new and refurbished schools for the children of Derby.

“We are, of course, extremely disappointed that capital funding has not been allocated for Lees Brook, and will continue to work with the Department for Education in relation to future capital funding.”

It was revealed last month that more than 715 secondary schools in the UK had their planned BSF projects cancelled as part of the government's latest round of spending cuts. A further 123 academy schemes are to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.