Parents' anger over school state

Some pupils said the rooms are too cold or too hot to concentrate

The poor state of a local secondary school in Devon has prompted parents to threaten a march on the county council.

Temporary classrooms at Chulmleigh Community College are so bad that one of the windows recently fell in.

The temporary structures were built for children evacuated during World War II and were meant to last 15 years.

A spokesman for Devon County Council said the college had received some recent funding and it is considered to be a high priority.

How would they feel if the window had hit one of the children Bob Charlton, parent

No pupils were injured when the window fell in, but when the school examined the windows, all but one were considered unsafe.

They have now been bolted to the walls for safety, which means the windows cannot be opened to ventilate the rooms.

At the moment, about 60% of teaching at Chulmleigh still takes place in temporary classrooms.

Tasha Gibson, a year-10 student, told BBC News she was worried the conditions could affect her ability to study.

She said: "When it's really cold or really hot, it means the concentration is not what it should be."

Performance tables

Many parents believe Chulmleigh is being left behind, while other schools in Exeter and Bideford are having millions of pounds spent on them.

Bob Charlton said: "We've got windows falling in on classrooms. How would they feel if the window had hit one of the children?"

Despite the condition of the temporary buildings, Chulmleigh Community College is the fifth best secondary in the county, according to performance tables.

Suzy Wall, whose daughter Clemency will be joining the school in September, is the chair of the parents' forum. She said parents are taking a proactive approach.

"We're writing letters and getting up a petition. If that doesn't work we're prepared to get militant and we will march on County Hall," she said.

Devon County Council said it has 368 schools and wants to ensure they all have the best learning environment possible.