A Barrow primary school was forced to close after structural issues were found with its floor.
Pupils of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School had to learn at home and year six youngsters were housed in a spare classroom in St Bernard’s Catholic High School.
But another primary school has come to the rescue as it is not known how long Sacred Heart primary will be shut for.
North Walney Primary School has offered spare classroom space to Sacred Heart to allow them to temporarily relocate into their school building.
Plans are now being developed to manage the move and ensure everything needed is in place. Both schools will remain separate but will operate from the same building, with children keeping the same teachers.
A move in date has not yet been decided, but all involved are working to keep the delay to a minimum.
Peter Croft, chair of governors at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, said: “The problems with our school building were a shock and have obviously been massively disruptive, our families have been doing a fantastic job supporting home learning but that’s not sustainable.
“That’s why we are so grateful for North Walney’s offer. Their school building has the capacity we need and doesn’t need to much work done to be ready for us. This is a novel and unusual solution, but we are absolutely sure it is the best option available to us and we can make it a success.”
Steve Andrews, chair of governors at North Walney Primary School, said: “When the county council contacted us to see if we could help, I felt immediately it was the right thing to do and our Governors agreed.
“We have the space they need, and it was important to us to do all we could to ensure local children can get back into the classroom as soon as possible. There will of course be some challenges along the way, but this is also an exciting opportunity and I’m sure both schools will work together to get the most out of it.”
Cumbria County Council has also agreed that free school transport will be available for any Sacred Heart pupils who require it.
Dan Barton, assistant director for education and skills at Cumbria County Council, said: “It’s every headteacher’s worst nightmare for something like this to happen and Sacred Heart have done a great job to keep school functioning, but we really needed to find a better solution quickly.
“North Walney have stepped up with this offer which is fantastic and provides a really positive way forward. We will continue to work closely with both schools to ensure they have the support they need to make this arrangement work.”
