COUNTY education chiefs say their plans to rebuild every school in Kent under a huge £1.8billion programme are still on track despite reports the Government scheme is already behind schedule.

Every single secondary school in Kent is due to be revamped under the Government’s Building Schools For The Future (BSF) programme.

But the flagship initiative, announced by Tony Blair in 2004, has been hit by claims that it had already missed its first targets. One hundred schools were expected to have been rebuilt by the end of the year but only 14 will be.

Tim Byles, the man in charge of BSF and a former senior officer at Kent County Council, also admitted the initial plans were over-ambitious.

Kent County Council has already won the government’s backing to rebuild 12 schools in Gravesham and Thanet and has now got the go-ahead to draw up plans to rebuild schools in Dover, Shepway and Swale after being included in the latest clutch of education authorities to win the support of Partnership for Schools, the agency in charge of delivering the government's scheme.

It is expected to announce which companies have been shortlisted for the first phase of building work later this month.

Council leader Paul Carter (Con) said he was unaware of any problems in Kent.

He said: "It is definitely not the case. I met Tim Byles before Christmas and there was no suggestion that the plans for Thanet and Gravesham were affected. They are on stream.

"We have not been given any information that the Government is going to slow down the programme."

But he conceded that "everything was dependent on the Government keeping its promises" and nothing was guaranteed until contracts were signed.

Kent County Council is the only education authority in the country that has been eligible for four consecutive rounds of BSF funding, holding out the prospect of a further £1billion funding.

Under the programme, schools are being rebuilt through Private Finance Initiatives (PFI), which involves private consortia meeting the initial costs then leasing them back to councils on a long-term contract.