Penair School is to get three new classrooms to replace temporary classes, one of which was destroyed in a fire earlier in the year.

Members of the county council's executive committee were asked to approve a scheme to replace the temporary classroom at Penair School which was destroyed by fire earlier this year with a permanent extension.

Outlining the scheme Terry Lello said the remaining three Elliott classrooms at the school were vulnerable and that it would, therefore, be sensible to replace both the destroyed building and the other Elliotts with permanent classrooms.

The meeting was told that allocating the funding necessary to upgrade the PRUs and replace the temporary classroom at Penair has made unforeseen demands on the Schools Capital Programme for 2006 / 2008 which now needed to be adjusted to meet these demands.

Proposals included removing the scheme to upgrade the primary school in Flushing from the Programme. Plans to provide a new school were dropped in 2003 when estimated costs of replacing the 53 pupil school rose to more than £2.5 million. Since then a feasibility study into improving the existing school building suggested potential costs of approximately £1.5m and identified major difficulties in delivering the scheme. Consequently it was agreed that the Flushing situation should be considered within the County wide Primary Capital Programme review.

"These are very difficult decision to make" said Terry Lello. "There is a desperate need to improve the PRUs to ensure we provide appropriate accommodation for this vulnerable group of pupils".

"While we appreciate that this decision will disappoint the people of Flushing, removing the scheme from the current Programme will release funding to enable these other much needed projects to be carried out."