EDUCATION leaders have finally secured the £250 million needed to create five academies and refurbish or rebuild many of Stoke-on-Trent's other secondary schools.

They say the investment will herald a new dawn for education in the city, with work starting this autumn and due to be completed by December 2013.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has already approved proposals to shut eight high schools and one special school, and has granted planning permission for most of the academies.

But the entire Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme hinged on securing Government funding.

Until the outline business case was approved, none of the money was guaranteed.

There were fears delays could result in cash being diverted to schools in other parts of England, or the city falling victim to savage public sector cuts.

Brian Ward, pictured, deputy council leader and cabinet member for regeneration, welcomed clearing one of the final hurdles.

He said: "We still have a lot of work to do, but it won't be long before parents, staff and, most importantly, children start to see new schools being built."

Details of how much each school will receive haven't been revealed.

Some of the money has already been spent on rebuilding Sandon Business and Enterprise College, in Meir, and Birches Head High.

Pupils and staff at Haywood Engineering College, in Burslem, will be among the next to benefit.

Work on refurbishing their school will begin later this year, with two small extensions and a new sports hall being built.

At the same time, contractors will move on to a site by the A34 in Trent Vale to build a new home for the city's REACH pupil referral unit, which supports 11 to 16-year-olds excluded from mainstream schools, or who have other emotional or behavioural problems.

Other schools in line for new buildings include Thistley Hough High, in Penkhull.

James Brindley Science College, in Chell, Blurton High, and Tunstall's Brownhills Maths and Computing College are among those being transformed into academies.

Another academy in Fenton will replace St Peter's High, in Penkhull, and Berry Hill High.

But the location for the fifth academy, due to replace Mitchell Business and Enterprise College, in Bucknall, and Edensor Technology College, in Longton, remains up in the air.

A planning application to build it in Adderley Green was thrown out in December following protests.

Residents said the site was unsuitable, because it would eat up green space and force pupils on to dangerous roads.

Families have campaigned for Mitchell and Berry Hill to be merged, with a new school on the Mitchell site.

Councillor Ian Mitchell, member for children and young people's services, said: "The final element is to secure planning permission for the new Discovery Academy, so that the pupils of Mitchell and Edensor schools are not left behind."