A government spending cull has scuppered plans to re-build a Barnoldswick high school.

West Craven High Technology College was one of more than 700 schools across the country that had rebuilding projects stopped when Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove announced cuts to the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

West Craven headteacher Arnold Kuchartschuk had hoped for a partial re-build of the school, with a new three-storey block added at the rear.

He said: “Obviously we are dreadfully disappointed. It would have been an exciting vision for the area, but at the end of the day the Government have been open and said they need to make public savings.”

Mr Kuchartschuk said the school’s vision of transforming its learning environment would continue.

“It’s about what goes on in a classroom, not the building itself,” he said.

Addressing Parliament earlier this week, Mr Gove said he was making tough, immediate decisions to help get the best value for money.

He said: “In the light of the public finances, it would have been irresponsible to carry on regardless with an inflexible and needlessly complex programme.”