DAMAGE amounting to thousands of pounds was caused to a village school when a fire broke out in a roofspace where contractors had been working.Ian Ramsey Primary School in Medomsley, was forced to close because of an asbestos scare during the fire on Monday.

But following an inspection by experts, the school was given a clean bill of health and classes resumed this ThursdayHeadteacher Colin Sillett praised the prompt action of the firefighters, who confined the blaze to a roof space, saving the school from further damage.He said:

Fortunately there were no pupils at school at the time but there were members of staff who saw the fire start. The caretaker got a hose out and attempted to stop the fire while we waited for the fire brigade. Had they not extinguished the fire so quickly the whole school could have gone up, because it is a wooden structure.

Station officer Peter Hewitson said firefighters had managed to put the blaze out within ten minutes. He said:

When the head teacher informed us there was a danger of asbestos from the roof tiling, we immediately put in place decontamination measures.

Several firefighters had to be sprayed down and their uniforms bagged and taken away.Workmen had been busy on the roof during the day. It is suspected a smouldering spark could have been fanned by the high winds to cause the fire.Architects estimated the value of damage to be about £30,000.Mr Sillett said:

We had thought we would only have to close the infant classes, but because asbestos was involved we had to shut the whole school.

Ironically, the asbestos tiling may have also helped to save the school from further damage.

Pupils back for lessons

A SCHOOL will officially open its doors this Thursday almost four years after a blaze ripped through the building causing extensive damage and disruption.Tanfield Comprehensive School, near Stanley, has undergone a £400,000 facelift in the wake of the blaze in 1998, which left a four-storey teaching block unusable. It has since been demolished.Temporary classrooms were brought in and both staff and pupils endured years of disruption. But all that will come to an end when local county councillor Edna Hunter officially opens the new-look school.The fire gave the county education authority the opportunity to carry out a wider range of repair and maintenance work at the school.Capital funds and fire insurance money was also used to carry out improvements to the school, parts of which date back to 1912.Developments include the construction of a new science and admin block and the internal refurbishment of the 1912 block and associated stonework repairs.The project also included the conversion of the old kitchen and the new art block and new technology textiles and graphics room. Coun Hunter said:

There is no doubt the school has undergone a considerable amount of disruption, but now they have first-class facilities to be proud of.

I fully believe the school will go from strength to strength and will be able to provide quality provision for many years to come.Headteacher Archie Howat said:

We are now settled back into an environment where we can concentrate on raising the achievements and aspirations of pupils in Derwentside.