Ed Balls backs 'pipsqueak' attack on Michael Gove

Shadow Education Secretary Ed Balls today said that he agreed with MP Tom Watson that Michael Gove was a "miserable pipsqueak of a man".

On a visit to Menzies High School Science College in West Bromwich he told the Express & Star: "Tom Watson can choose his own way of expressing it, but I agree with his sentiments.

I'm here to meet with headteachers to find out exactly how they have been affected by these cuts."

Mr Balls was at the Clarkes Lane School to meet with head teachers who have lost out on £138m worth of funding in their Building Schools For The Future fiasco.

The school which is merging with The Manor Foundation College in Friar Park Road in Wed-nesbury was due to get £32m under the scheme which would have funded rebuilding on both sites.

Brian Heavisides, the executive head teacher of the two schools now collectively called the Phoenix Collegiate, was hosting the meeting today.

He said: "Each year we probably miss out on three or four teaching days when we have to close for things like a boiler or central heating problems. We have asbestos in every single building. We can't even put up a notice board without checking first.

"To make even small changes, costs us tens of thousands of pounds to make sure we deal with the asbestos properly. The merger was absolutely dependent on this funding to be a success. If we don't get it it could end up that we just have two separate schools operating on separate sites."

As well as rebuilding work, the money was due to be spent on building a business and enterprise-park and a performing arts and sports centre on the site at Manor.