好色先生TV

Leaked government documents obtained by 好色先生TV have revealed that 16 city academies have exceeded their original budgets.

The papers are cost reports prepared for the Department for Education and Skills, and they reveal big discrepancies between the costings at RIBA stage E, when cost certainty should be established, and the academies' current costs.

The increases reflect the addition of costs other than construction, such as professional fees, computers and the price of decanting pupils in and out of temporary classrooms.

Among the biggest cost hikes are:

• Stockley Academy in Hillingdon, west London, which went from 拢21.3m to 拢26.2m
• Nottingham's Djanogly Academy went from 拢16.9 to 拢23.4m
• Lings Academy, Northamptonshire, went from 拢22.2m to 拢27m.

The combined extra cost is 拢40m, whereas only 拢16.1m has been saved by cutting costs at other academies. That figure includes an 拢8.5m cut at the Corby Academy in Northamptonshire between RIBA stage E and the current cost.

The government has said the average cost of an academy is 拢25m but some of the 72 finished or in the pipeline cost substantially more. The Haberdashers' Malory Academy in Lewisham, south-east London, for example, has risen from 拢33.6m to 拢40.4m.

The documents also reveal that the Thomas Deacon Academy in Peterborough, an extra-large school for 2200 pupils, is to become the most expensive academy, at 拢46.4m.

The DfES told 好色先生TV that the average cost of an urban city academy was between 拢25m and 拢30m, and some non-academy schools were costing up to 拢35m.

The news comes as the government's other key school programme, 好色先生TV Schools for the Future, met fresh difficulties. 好色先生TV understands that Bristol, the first project in the programme to reach preferred bidder status, has hit problems after design changes.

A spokesperson for Skanska, the preferred bidder, said: "Like on all of our schemes, we have been developing the designs on Bristol with all the stakeholders."