HALWILL Primary School is calling for urgent action from Devon County Council to bring its premises into the 21st century.

For two decades the school, which consists of a Victorian building and temporary classrooms, has been identified as in need of extensive remodelling, yet no new development has occurred.

Headteacher Nigel Hakes said a commitment and detailed plans for improvement were needed now from the county council so the community could look forward to a school in the near future that met its needs.

'Since the school was built in the last century measures to increase the capacity of the building have always been of a temporary nature while the numbers have constantly risen,' he said.

'The whole school is now taught in temporary buildings which have been there since the 1960s and we are finding it increasingly difficult to deliver the curriculum in the 21st century.'

Mr Hakes said so far in Devon, Government money had been targeted at providing more school places where there was an urgent need and addressing serious health and safety concerns.

'We do not fit into either of these categories but we are a very sad case,' he said. 'The school needs extensive remodelling — we are talking over £500,000 to sort this out.'

The Victorian building provided an 'inadequate' school hall which only half a class could fit in at once for PE, said the headteacher. The toilets were situated some distance away from the majority of teaching areas and there was no staff room and limited storage space.

He said over £8,000 was raised by the community to purchase a sports field for the children and local fundraising was being done again to develop the school grounds.

Mr Hake said while a lot of money had been raised there was no way the community could raise £500,000.

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett, who has been campaigning for improvements at the school for a couple of years, said the buildings were 'deplorable'.

'Despite these horrendous conditions, the parents, staff and governors have been fantastic in decorating the school, raising money for a sports field and basically making the best of what they have got,' he said. 'But Halwill School must be a priority now for a new building to accommodate all the classrooms plus toilets and cloakrooms.'

A Devon County Council spokesman said a meeting of the executive committee to decide on the capital programme for school works this year would be held in approximately two weeks.

'The council will be looking at Halwill along with a whole range of other schools that require work to be done on them,' he said.