PLANS to rebuild three crumbling schools will not be submitted for approval until October - three months later than planned.

Education officials have drawn up £27m plans to rebuild Wright Robinson High School, Medlock Primary School and Haverley Hey Primary School. But a £620,000 shortfall has blocked the council from submitting its plans to the Department for Education as planned.

The funding deficit was first revealed last month and it had been hoped that plans could be modified in time for the meeting of full council yesterday. But officials have failed to bridge the gap.

Richard Fye, Medlock Primary headteacher, says despite the delay he is still hoping the new schools will be open in 2002. He told the Manchester Evening News: "I think it's quite possible that overall this may not mean a delay at all. We are approaching it in a very effective way."

Under the government's Private Finance Initiative schools are built at the expense of private contractors. The schools then lease the buildings and maintenance services annually for 25 years. The annual charges are partly paid by credits from the DFE, school budgets and contributions from education authorities.

Council estimates point to an annual shortfall of £625,000. Officials will now have to look at ways to bridge the gap by cutting the costs - or withdraw them.