SCHOOLS in south Essex will miss out on more than £100million of Government funding after a nationwide project to rebuild and refurbish schools was axed.

The £55billion Building Schools for the Future programme to revamp every secondary school in England was cut by Education Secretary Michael Gove as the coalition Government tries to slash public spending.

The Appleton School and Glenwood School, both in Benfleet, Deanes School and King John, both in Thundersley, Mayflower High School, Billericay, The Billericay School and Beauchamps High School, Wickford, will all have their funding pulled.

But Castle View and Cornelius Vermuyden, both on Canvey, East Basildon Academy, De La Salle, in Basildon, James Hornsby, in Laindon and Belfairs, in Leigh, have all survived the cull.

They were promised the money from the last government in an earlier phase of the programme, and will still get the cash to finish the refurbishments, some of which are well under way.

Two academies, Greensward, in Hockley and Ormiston Park, in Thurrock, will be reviewed individually along with all 123 academies hoping to benefit from the scheme.

Deanes had hoped to get £40million from the programme for improved facilities, including a new sports hall and an all-weather outdoor sports pitch.

Glenwood Special School was also to move from Rushbottom Lane, Thundersley, to join Deanes in Daws Heath Road, in a new, modern premises.

King John, Appleton and Glenwood had been earmarked for £21million of improvements each.

Castle Point’s Tory MP Rebecca Harris said: “I’m incredibly disappointed. The schools that missed out all had a compelling need.

“I understand the state of public finances and there’s no money left, but I will be lobbying desperately for whatever we can get.”

Across the country, 715 schools will see their rebuilding projects cancelled, but 706 schools where work is ready to begin will still go ahead.

Mr Gove said the programme had been beset by “massive overspends, tragic delays, botched construction projects and needless bureaucracy” and had “failed to meet any of its targets”.