A RURAL primary school near Wellington will receive two new classrooms in the coming months to replaced its existing “dilapidated” buildings.

Stawley Primary School lies at Appley Cross, in Ashbrittle, a short distance from the Devon-Somerset border.

While the newest parts of the school only date back to 2016, two of the existing classrooms are much older and are in increasingly poor condition.

Somerset Council has now confirmed these classrooms will shortly be demolished and replaced with more modern facilities, as part of a £2m programme to improve the conditions of schools across Somerset.

Chris Hall, the council’s executive director for community, place and economy, announced details of the project shortly after the council set its annual budget, which included its capital programme for the coming year.

He said in his written report: “Condition surveys have identified a significant amount of priority condition issues at Stawley Primary School.

“If these outstanding condition issues are not addressed through this programme, the health and safety risks to pupils, school employees, and visitors will remain unmitigated.

“There are multiple health and safety risks to building users through un-addressed condition issues which, if allowed to become failed components, may increase the risk of, for example, ill health due to damp and cold buildings and injuries from broken items.

“Additionally, this could cause breaches of health and safety legislation leading to prosecution of the council by the Health and Safety Executive.

“Draughty, cold, and poorly maintained buildings can have a negative impact on health and morale.

“Well-maintained, ventilated, and comfortable buildings are proven to improve the health and well-being of occupants and increase productivity.”

Mr Hall has not confirmed how soon the building work would begin, but gave assurance that any construction would be timed to minimise disruption to pupils and staff.