HOPES have risen of a rescue for some of the ageing Liverpool schools which saw their £350m rebuilding schemes axed – with an announcement just weeks away.

Quizzed in the Commons, Education Secretary Michael Gove praised the "commitment" of teachers and parents at one of the schools affected – St John Bosco Arts College, in Croxteth.

And he suggested that cash would be found for crumbling schools in the poorest areas of England, despite a savage 60% cut to funding for new school buildings.

Mr Gove was put on the spot by West Derby MP Stephen Twigg, who arranged the visit to St John Bosco by Nick Gibb, the schools minister, in March.

The Daily Post revealed that Liverpool City Council is considering a bid to be a trial area for so-called “modular” schools – a radical scheme which would see cheaper, mass-produced designs built off-site.

Ministers believe the idea offers better value for money – and a quicker solution – than the costly Buildings Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme, that was controversially scrapped a year ago.

St John Bosco, a specialist arts college for girls, was one of 26 Liverpool secondaries that saw badly-needed schemes swept away – with a further 32 left disappointed across the Merseyside area.

Now Mr Gove is preparing to reveal, before MPs leave Westminster in July, which areas will receive help to rebuild some schools.