I AM happy to reassure parents and local authorities that it is absolute nonsense that our secondary schools programme “may be ripped up in a savage spending squeeze” (Echo, Nov 27).

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is building momentum so that by 2011 more than 200 revamped or rebuilt schools will be being opened every year.

More than 1,000 BSF schools across 80 local authorities are already engaged in the programme and by 2020 we expect most local authorities will have completed their programmes.

We’ve accelerated the procurement process and reduced costs; brought eight local authorities into BSF early this spring; and will announce a revised programme for the 70 remaining authorities outside the programme in the New Year, including bringing more into BSF earlier.

This is an unprecedented programme to modernise the entire secondary school estate – something never attempted before by any government.

It is right to make sure the taxpayer gets the best from every penny of capital investment.

That’s why in the Budget, in March, the Treasury announced it would look to secure additional value for money across a range of Whitehall programmes in future.

This is not a scaling back of BSF or any other departmental project – it is common sense.

Jim Knight, Schools Minister, Department for Children, Schools and Families.

RE your report about the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme (Echo, Nov 27).

A Guardian article published in July reported that “eight out of ten designs for secondary schools proposed under the £35bn BSF initiative are mediocre or not yet good enough”.

It highlighted problems such as bullying hotspots in secluded yards, and noisy open-plan areas which made teaching difficult, were too dark or prone to overheating.

Being connected with one of County Durham’s top secondary schools for GCSE results, it pains me to see the BSF plans that will have a negative effect on the education of local children.

Schools rely very heavily on their IT provision for just about everything these days, but this is seen as a “burden” by the Government. They would rather farm it out to private companies who provide a managed service – usually costing three to five times more than what local staff with front-line knowledge would cost.

Private companies exist for one reason – and that is to make a profit. BSF is nothing but privatisation of the education system.

Name supplied, Co Durham.