Fire-hit school seeking new home

The school hall collapsed about an hour after the fire broke out

More than 200 children whose primary school was destroyed by fire could be back in class by Monday.

Kent County Council (KCC) officials are looking at possible alternative accommodation for the 230 children from Lympne Church of England School.

The school, near Hythe, will have to be demolished after fire swept through the building on Wednesday. Pupils are spending the rest of the week at home.

"We will try to keep all the children together," said KCC's Ian Craig.

"We want to maintain the school into the future - it is a popular school on a good site, so it hits all the buttons we want it to hit."

Disused premises

The children and their teachers were safely evacuated from the school and taken to Lympne Village Hall, where they were collected by parents.

The school hall collapsed as a result of the fire and several other buildings were gutted.

Mr Craig, the council's director of operations, said there were several disused premises in the area which could be reopened.

Another possibility is to provide mobile classrooms on the school site while the old building is being rebuilt.

"We have a number of proposals and we are hoping to come to a conclusion by the end of the day," said Mr Craig on Thursday.

"We are hoping to get the children back into school by Monday."

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the fire was being investigated but crews at the scene believed it may have started in a light fitting.

KCC has set up a telephone hotline [phone]) for parents wanting information.