Pupils at fire-damaged school are learning at home

Pupils at a fire-damaged primary school are working remotely as the new term begins.

Children at the Thomas Bullock Primary Academy in Shipdam, near Dereham will be learning from home for seven days before moving into a temporary site near the village.

The fire took hold on 13 August, damaging five areas of the school including classrooms.

Oliver Burwood, chief executive of the Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, said: "The parental community and whole community of Shipdham have been amazing. It has been an incredible response from them."

At the height of the blaze 10 crews attended the scene, which took place on the same day Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident across the county.

Burwood previously said the fire, which was related to extreme hot weather, was caused by refracted light on a Perspex canopy in an outdoor area at the front of the school, which spread to the site.

Speaking to Chris Goreham on BBC Radio Norfolk, Burwood said the school had worked "exceptionally hard" and "pulled out all the stops".

Home-learning resource kits have been sent to the 240 pupils, however Burwood said they want to make sure the remote learning time period is as short as possible.

He added: "We don't want to be going on beyond that seven days - we want it to end so we can return to that normality."

The school hopes to return to it's home in Pound Green Lane, in temporary buildings, after the October half term.

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