No cause for a stink as Criftins classes carry on

Pupils from a primary school in Shropshire went on a field trip with a difference – to their local village hall so that they could finally get back to lessons.

Criftins Primary near Ellesmere has been closed since Tuesday, when a 'strong, unpleasant' smell was discovered in one of the classrooms, and yesterday the 84 pupils moved into the hall to continue with their classes.

Teachers borrowed tables from a parenting club and spread out into different rooms to make it as similar to a normal school day as possible.

As well as lessons, the breakfast club and the after school club were also held at the hall.

Headteacher, Pam Edwards, said it had been a difficult week but the children seemed to have liked the change of scenery.

She said: "They have really enjoyed being taught in the village hall. They had their usual lessons as they would normally.

"We managed to split up into several areas in the hall to have lessons in maths, English and other subjects too.

"For English we wrote about the day the school was closed – they will remember it for a long time. It has been an interesting week but it has ended well.

"We are really grateful to everyone who has helped, it has been a community effort."

Shropshire Council said the school would open as usual on Monday after tests found there was no danger to health posed by the air quality in the school.

But despite the tests, investigators failed to find the cause of the smell

Spokesman Simon Alton said: "Air samples have been intensively tested by independent experts and the unusual smell had virtually gone by Friday afternoon, and the advice was that it may have been caused by a natural drop in atmospheric pressure."

By Dani Wozencroft