Fewer than half of the schools that applied for renovation under the government's privately financed school building programme have been successful, it has been announced.
The education secretary, Michael Gove, said just 261 schools out of 587 that applied would be rebuilt or refurbished under the £2bn PFI scheme, despite widespread concern about the state of school buildings.
A survey for the Observer revealed 39% of headteachers believed their school buildings were not fit for purpose, with complaints of overcrowding, leaking ceilings and poor ventilation.
Gove admitted the manner in which he cancelled Labour's mammoth school building programme had been "clumsy and insensitive". Within weeks of coming to power, the coalition scrapped the £55bn Building Schools for the Future project, saying it was wasteful and bureaucratic.
More than 700 school building projects were cancelled and Gove was forced to apologise after errors on a list of affected projects meant some schools thought their building work was going ahead when it had in fact been halted.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World at One on Thursday, Gove said: "I think it was necessary to stop the Building Schools for the Future programme because it wasn't efficient, even if the way I made the announcement was clumsy … it was insensitive, and more than that, it left people in a state of uncertainty because they were led to believe by the previous government that schools desperately needed to be rebuilt and were left high and dry."
The government announced the scheme to rebuild the most dilapidated schools, the Priority School Building Programme, last July. The deadline for applications was mid-October.
The announcement of successful bids has been delayed for months, while a baby boom has put intense pressure on space in primary schools. An east London council is drawing up plans to convert an empty Woolworths store into a classroom and teach children in two shifts as part of emergency measures to cope with the rising number of primary age pupils.
In a statement, Gove said rebuilding work would begin immediately and the new schools would be open in 2014.
"I recognise many of the schools that applied and have been unsuccessful will also have significant needs. Some will have their needs addressed through other funding we have made available for maintenance," he said.
The government has commissioned a survey of the school estate which will detail the condition of every school in England by next autumn.
There are 42 schools – those in the worst condition and all the special needs schools in the programme – that will be fast-tracked for urgent building work.
Gove's statement added: "I know many schools will be disappointed not to be included in the programme. We have had to take difficult decisions in order to target spending on those schools in the worst condition."
PFI, which involves private contractors paying upfront for schools and hospital buildings, then leasing them back for up to 30 years, has become increasingly expensive since the financial crisis.
Gove said the Department for Education was working with the Treasury to reform the PFI model and provide "cost-effective and more transparent" delivery of services. Under the school rebuilding scheme, schools will manage and control services such as cleaning, catering and security.
Traditional PFI deals involve the automatic bundling of services such as cleaning into construction contracts. This has been criticised by the Treasury for failing to deliver value for money.
Unions are concerned staff lose out on pay and conditions when such services are contracted out.
Nusrat Faizullah, chief executive of the British Council for School Environments, an education charity, said: "It's great to finally see some schools, at least, will be replaced or refurbished.
" It's also good to see that schools in the very worst condition will be fast-tracked."
"But this only is a beginning. Hundreds of schools have lost out after being told by the previous government their schools will be rebuilt; they too must have their building needs addressed."
Steve Beechey, head of education at construction firm Wates, described the statement as "light on the detail" of how the new school buildings would be procured and the timeframes involved. "Given that it typically takes at least two years from the time a decision is made to build a school until it is ready to open, it is essential that the government swiftly follows up today's announcement with more information on how it intends to prioritise projects for delivery."
In the same interview, Gove denied the closure of grammar schools was responsible for a decline in social mobility. He said: "Selection isn't a magic bullet. If you look across the worldat those countries that have successful education systems, yes, some of them are selective, like Singapore. Others, Finland, South Korea, Japan, aren't.
"So it's not the case that you need to have selection in order to have a successful education system which advances social mobility."
He added the decline in social mobility had more to do with progressive teaching methods and softer subjects in state schools. "In fact there were other changes occurring in education - a move away from traditional subjects rigorously taught in many cases. It would be wrong to look back at the 60s and 70s and say that the move away from grammar schools was the sole cause of adverse changes."
The 200 schools are:
Barking and Dagenham
Eastbrook Comprehensive School
Eastbury Comprehensive School
Barnet
Pardes House Primary School
Birmingham
Castle Vale Performing Arts College
Hallmoor School
Heathlands Junior and Infant School
Kings Norton High School
Plantsbrook School
Turves Green Boys' School
Blackpool
Collegiate High School
Hawes Side Primary School
Highfurlong School
Palatine Sports College
Bradford
Belle Vue Boys' School
Carlton Bolling College
Oakbank School
The Samuel Lister Academy
Brent
Alperton Community School
Copland Community School
Bristol
Hillfields Primary School
St Anne's Park Primary School
St Ursula's E-ACT Academy
Bromley
Harris Academy Beckenham
Harris Academy Bromley
Bury
The Elton High School
Cambridgeshire
The Manor
Camden
Hampstead School
Maria Fidelis Convent School FCJ
Cheshire West and Chester
Blacon High School
Crowton Christ Church C of E Primary School
Dee Point Primary School
Highfield Community Primary School *
J H Godwin Primary School
Neston High School
Coventry
Alice Stevens School
Ernesford Grange Community School
President Kennedy School
Richard Lee Primary School
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School
Whitmore Park Primary School
Wyken Croft Primary School
Croydon
The Archbishop Lanfranc School
Cumbria
Southfield Technology College (joint application with Stainburn School and Science College)
St James C of E Junior School
Stainburn School and Science College (joint application with Southfield Technology College)
Derby
Asterdale Primary School
Carlyle Infant School
Cavendish Close Junior School
Chaddesden Park Infant School (joint application with Chaddesden Park Junior School)
Lees Brook Community School
Reigate Primary School
Woodlands School
Derbyshire
Alfreton Grange Arts College
Devon
Chagford C of E Primary School
Haytor View Community Primary School
Ilfracombe Arts College
Ladysmith Junior School
Newton Poppleford Primary School
Newton St Cyres Primary School
South Molton Community College
South Molton United C of E Junior School
The Castle Primary School
The Grove Primary School
Doncaster
Askern Moss Road Infant School
Don Valley Academy and Performing Arts College
Durham
Durham Trinity School and Sports College
King James I Academy Bishop Auckland
Seaham School of Technology
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
West Cornforth Primary School
Ealing
Mayfield Primary School
East Riding of Yorkshire
Goole High School
Hessle High School and Sixth Form College
Withernsea High School
Wolfreton School
Essex
Lawford Mead Primary (replaces Lawford Mead Infant and Lawford Mead Junior Schools)
The Edith Borthwick School
Gateshead
Charles Thorp Comprehensive School
Front Street Community Primary School
Hill Top School
Lingey House Primary School
Roman Road Primary School
Greenwich
Eltham C of E Primary School
Invicta Primary School
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Primary School
The Eltham Foundation School
Wingfield Primary School
Halton
Halebank C of E (VC) Primary School
The Heath School
Harrow
Aylward Primary School
Cedars Manor School
Marlborough Primary School
Priestmead Primary School and Nursery
Salvatorian College
Vaughan Primary School
Weald Infant School (joint application with Weald Junior School)
Weald Junior School (joint application with Weald Infant School)
Hartlepool
Barnard Grove Primary School
Holy Trinity C of E Primary School
Manor College of Technology
Havering
Hacton Primary School
Suttons Primary School
The Mawney Foundation School
Hertfordshire
Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School
Garston Manor School
Goffs School
Kings Langley School
Longdean School
The Highfield School
Westfield Community Technology College
Hillingdon
Abbotsfield School
Northwood School
Swakeleys School
Hounslow
Hounslow Manor School
Isle of Wight
Carisbrooke College
Christ the King College
Oakfield C of E Aided Primary School
Ryde Academy
Kent
Aylesham Primary School
Castle Community College
Chantry Primary School
Culverstone Green Primary School
Halfway Houses Primary School
Laleham Gap School
Meopham School
Priory Fields School
Sevenoaks Primary School
Smarden Primary School
St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School
The Canterbury Primary School
Westlands Primary School
York Road Junior Academy
Kingston upon Hull
Ainthorpe Primary School
Eastfield Primary School
Foredyke Primary School
Francis Askew Primary School
Neasden Primary School
Wold Primary School
Kirklees
All Saints Catholic College Specialist in Humanities
Mount Pleasant Junior Infant and Nursery School
Whitcliffe Mount Business and Enterprise College
Lambeth
Allen Edwards Primary School
Charles Edward Brooke School
Glenbrook Primary School
Lansdowne School
The Orchard School
Leicester
Forest Lodge Primary School
Lewisham
Sir Francis Drake Primary School
Liverpool
Aigburth High School
Redbridge High School
Luton
Stopsley High School
Manchester
Camberwell Park Specialist Support School
Plymouth Grove Primary School
Stanley Grove Primary School
Newham
Little Ilford School
Stratford School Academy
North East Lincolnshire
Great Coates Primary School
North Lincolnshire
Baysgarth School
Brumby Junior School
Burton-upon-Stather Primary School
Crosby Primary School
Grange Lane Primary (replaces Grange Lane Infant and Grange Lane Junior Schools)
Henderson Avenue Primary School
The Vale Academy
North Tyneside
John Spence Community High School
Longbenton Community College
Marden High School
Whitehouse Primary School
North Yorkshire
Harrogate High School
Northumberland
Bedlingtonshire Community High School
Prudhoe Community High School
The Duchess's Community High School
Nottingham
Glenbrook Primary and Nursery School
Springfield Primary School
Top Valley School and Engineering College
Nottinghamshire
Abbey Primary School
Annie Holgate Infant School (joint application with Annie Holgate Junior School)
Annie Holgate Junior School (joint application with Annie Holgate Infant School)
Carsic Primary School
Ethel Wainwright Primary School
Fountaindale School
John Davies Primary School
Leamington Primary and Nursery School
Lynncroft Primary School
Rosebrook Primary School
Serlby Park Academy (Primary school co-location with Secondary school)
Serlby Park Academy (Secondary school co-location with Primary school)
South Nottinghamshire Academy
Sunnyside Primary and Nursery School
The Grove School
Oldham
Saddleworth School
Peterborough
St John's Church School
West Town Primary School
Poole
Montacute School
Portsmouth
King Richard School
Reading
Reading Girls' School
Redcar and Cleveland
Handale Primary School
Laurence Jackson School
Richmond upon Thames
The Queen's C of E Primary School
Rotherham
Oakwood Technology College
Wath Victoria Primary School
Salford
Mesne Lea Primary School
Sandwell
Hall Green Primary School
Harvills Hawthorn Primary School
The Phoenix Collegiate
Sheffield
Fox Hill Primary School
Prince Edward Primary School
Slough
Slough Grammar School
Southampton
Bitterne Park School
The Cedar School
St. Helens
Mill Green School
Staffordshire
Clough Hall Technology School
Gnosall St Lawrence C of E (C) Primary School
Moorgate Community Primary School
Stockport
Abingdon Primary School
Bridge Hall Primary School
St John's C of E Primary School
St Mary's R C Primary School
Werneth School
Stockton-on-Tees
Grangefield School
Ian Ramsey C of E Aided Comprehensive School
Mandale Mill Primary School
St Michael's Roman Catholic School
Suffolk
Chantry High School
Great Cornard Upper School and Technology College
Sunderland
Hetton School
Hylton Castle Primary School
Shiney Row Primary School
St Anthony's Catholic Girls' Academy
Usworth Grange Primary School
Surrey
Pyrford C of E Aided Primary School
Riverview C of E Primary and Nursery School
St Bede's C of E Aided Junior School
St Lawrence C of E Aided Junior School
Tameside
Broadoak Primary School
Flowery Field Primary School
Holden Clough Community Primary School
Silver Springs Academy
Wakefield
Castleford Redhill Infant School (with Castleford Redhill Junior School)
Castleford Redhill Junior School (with Castleford Redhill Infant School)
Waltham Forest
Buxton School
George Mitchell School
Hawkswood Primary PRU
Selwyn Primary School
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School
Wandsworth
Chestnut Grove School
Warrington
William Beamont Community High School
Warwickshire
Queen Elizabeth School
Wigan
Britannia Bridge Primary School
The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College
Wiltshire
St Mary's C of E Infant School (joint application with St Peter's C of E Junior School)
St Peter's C of E Junior School (joint application with St Mary's C of E Infant School)
Wyvern College
Wirral
Bedford Drive Primary School
Foxfield School
Ridgeway High School
Wolverhampton
Edward the Elder Primary School
Wood End Primary School
York
Carr Infant School
Lord Deramore's Primary School
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