CHILDREN, parents and staff are celebrating after Kenton Primary School marked its official return to the village after two years.

The final piece of the new school ‘jigsaw’ of Portakabin buildings is now up and running and will be a permanent home in one place for all the pupils for the next few years.

After the old school building was flooded out in September 2023, the children have spent the last two years as the ‘school on tour’ with time spent at Hope Church in Dawlish, Kenn Primary School and Powderham Castle.

Head teacher Ed Finch, who joined in September, says the school is ‘back in business’.

Now, the buildings, which have been put onto the school’s field, include four classrooms and a recently installed brand new hall which houses the library, storage space and a kitchen.

The huge, state-of-the-art facility means the children can play, sing and eat together as well as providing a space for school performances and events.

Staff and children are now looking forward to finally hosting the school’s Christmas Fayre and Nativity play.

Mr Finch explained: ‘The whole school is built by Portakabin but you would never know.

‘The classroom blocks have been here for about a year but now we finally have an enormous school hall which we can use for assemblies and lunches.

‘After three years, I was handed the keys and now we are up and running and feel like a real school again with plenty of space.

‘It means we can do things that make us feel like a school community again.’

The buildings came in sections which were installed on site on land which had been the school’s playing fields.

It is across the road from the former school and was difficult to access so rarely used but now, it is being used for after school sport and play.

The new-look school also has admin offices, a reception and staff area and areas for special needs teaching which had been happening in corridors.

The school now has 62 children as a few moved to other schools following the flood but it is now hoped to boost the numbers.

Mr Finch said: ‘It was awful to have had the flood but the result is the children have a better provision.

‘It is so much better for them to be in one place now.

‘While it was exciting being in other places such as Hope Church and Powderham Castle, it wasn’t good for learning and their education.

‘It’s no surprise, moving from place to place, it did knock their learning and they were not where they should be for their age.

‘Now they feel more secure and are learning properly.

‘It is a very optimistic time and there is a real family feel about the place.

‘This is our home.’

While 600-year-old Church House former school building remains prone to flooding, the Department for Education has agreed funding through the Schools Funding Programme for a replacement school for 105 children and a pre-school on the current site.

Work is not likely to start before 2027.

Mr Finch said: ‘For now, the whole school is celebrating being in a sustainable, comfortable and fit for purpose building.’