Essex schools have received a major cash jackpot with the Government pledging an extra £15 million for replacement classrooms and repairs.

Only Kent is getting more money from the Government in the latest round of its New Deal for Schools.

Education Secretary David Blunkett announced yesterday that Essex County Council would get £15 million from the scheme. But this is only almost half the cash it asked for.

Ken Dobson, the county's capital programme manager for education, said Essex had not yet heard which schemes the Government had agreed to pay for.

Council chiefs submitted a wish list to Whitehall which included demountable replacements, new windows, electrical and mechanical works, and extensions for new classrooms.

They expect to hear which specific schools will benefit from the cash handout over the next few days.

It was hoped some of the cash would also pay for new demountable classrooms to replace dilapidated ones

More than 900 schools in the east of England will benefit from urgent repairs through the latest New Deal for Schools round, receiving a total of £61.9m.

Mr Blunkett said the national figure of £600 million for repairs - including £250 million from the Budget - would be allocated in the region between 2000 and 2002.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.