HUNDREDS of children on one of the country’s most deprived estates are still waiting for Education Secretary Michael Gove to let them have the dream play scheme they had been promised.

The Government froze funding for Play Barton, an £800,000 indoor and outdoor play park, in July as part of moves to save £1bn from the education budget.

The news was broken to children just one week after they had been assured the money was safe.

And Mr Gove promised to tell youngsters “by August” whether they could have their new play project or not.

In August, that became “by the end of August”.

Seven weeks after the original promise was broken, the children of Barton are still waiting and the Department for Education now says it has “no timetable” for resolving the matter.

Oxford city councillor Van Coulter, who is a trustee of the Play Barton project, said the scheme was desperately needed.

Earlier this year, a report by Oxford City Council ranked Barton amongst the country’s 20 per cent most deprived areas.

Mr Coulter said the project, to be based on three sites, represented far more than improved play and leisure facilities and it would help give young children social skills that would improve their academic achievement.

He added: “The Government need to be there for the children of Barton. If they are to have a chance in life they need Play Barton.”

“This area falls within the lowest one per cent of educational attainment in England. Oxford is a city renowned for its academic achievement yet local folk don’t get a decent education.”

Mr Coulter is still optimistic the money will be secured but said plans might have to be scaled back, even though some of the cash has been committed and staff taken on. The last communication he had seen from the Government had said it was facing “tough decisions”.

Earlier this summer, the estate was dealt an £8m government funding blow when planned improvements to Bayard’s Hill Primary School were scrapped to save cash.

The Department of Education announced in July it was reviewing all funding for its “Play Capital” programme and said last night that review was “stillongoing.”