HOUNSLOW'S education chief described the decision to scrap the government's schools investment programme as 'disastrous'.

Pupils from four secondary schools and one special school will no longer benefit from renovation work after Education Secretary Michael Gove binned the Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF).

Councillor Sachin Gupta, Hounslow's executive member for education, said: "The scheme is not just about bricks and mortar, it's more about educational transformation and ensuring that young people are given the best possible chance.

"The decision is disastrous news for Hounslow's pupils, parents and teachers, who had been expecting much-needed investment in modernising schools.

"In the short term, we will have to start planning with schools to develop stop-gap solutions to deal with the immediate building problems."

To date Hounslow Council has already spent more than £2m on preparatory work in addition to planning the revitalisation of four secondary schools and one special school on the expectation of £85 million from BSF.

Last week, the Chronicle reported how concerned parents of Chiswick Community School had started an online petition to urge the government to commit to rebuilding schemes despite spending cuts.

About 180 schools in England have already been rebuilt or revamped since the scheme was introduced by Labour in 2004. Now, a further 715 schools across the country will miss out.

Mr Gove said he still hopes to invest in schools in the worst condition, cut red tape and tackle urgent demand for places because of rising birth rates.

Hounslow Council will learn of the school capital programme later this summer.

'A BLOW TO EVERYBODY': WHAT THE HEADS SAY

* Alan Howson, headteacher at Chiswick Community School, said: "(Pupils) have been excited and motivated by the prospect of modern facilities and resources fit for 21st century learning. Instead what they see is a system that allows the failed banking structure to award bonuses to bankers in one year that would pay for the whole 20-year BSF programme, and vast wealth being accumulated by the minority at the expense of basic formal education for the average family.

"If we do not adequately invest in the future lives of our children and end up penalising them for a problem created by their affluent elders, then we will not be able to complain in the future when we have a society that is unable to compete with other, emerging countries in the world.

"I hope the new government will consider different ways to inject money into schools and allow them to serve the needs of students and support the huge commitment of teachers which is so critical for the success of every student, school and community."

* Headteacher at Feltham Community College, Victoria Eadie, said: "Obviously we are very disappointed. The governors, staff and children have put a lot of work into this project.

"We were going to have a complete refurbishment of the school, we were looking to transform learning for the next 50 to 100 years. We were very excited, we have been planning this for two years now, the architects had plans drawn up and we were having regular, long meetings about it."

Governor David Snaddon said: "This is a blow to everybody. We are going to have to sit down to work out where we go from here. It is certainly a very uncertain time for education at the moment."