As term started this week, seven flood-damaged primaries and two special schools remained shut. Pupils from one Nottingham school returned to classes in a Methodist chapel (above).
Despite pound;10 million from central government to pay for repairs, three primaries in Nottinghamshire, three in Yorkshire and one in Hull have had to move to other schools or village halls. Two special schools, one in Hull and one in Rotherham, are also unusable.
Around 80 children from North Leverton primary in Nottinghamshire had taken refuge in a power station for lessons following the June deluge. This week children arriving for the reception class spent their first days in a Methodist chapel.
Kevin Bacon, the headteacher, said they would back on the school site, in temporary classrooms by the end of September.
Schools in central England hit by the second round of flooding in July have been more fortunate. Helped by a pound;4 million grant from central government, schools in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire have all reopened on their traditional sites, some with the aid of mobile classrooms.
Jim Knight, schools minister, congratulated teachers for working so hard during the holidays to ensure schools reopened, even though many of their own homes had been flooded.
