CHILDREN from Threshfield Primary School could soon be moving in with the props and scrum halves of neighbours Wharfedale Rugby Club.

An application has been made to the Yorkshire Dales National Park committee to allow the rugby clubhouse to be used as a temporary base for the school's 96 pupils while building work is carried out.

The school was criticised by an Ofsted inspection team last year for its accommodation including cramped classrooms and poor toilet provision, but a £200,000 Capital Challenge grant should change that.

With work due to start in November, headteacher Helen Jarvis had to act quickly to find an alternative site to house her pupils, who would be badly disrupted by the construction work being carried out if they were forced to stay.

"The building work is going to be so involved at the school that the staff and children could not carry on there and the community suggested the rugby club as a temporary venue," said Glenn Allgood, of North Yorkshire Education Authority.

The school dates back to the 17th century and last year was named one of the top 15 schools in the country in the national league tables.

The work will see the building of a two storey extension in keeping with the old mullioned windows.

If planning permission is secured, Wharfedale's rugby clubhouse will take on the added role of becoming a custom-made primary school for approximately six months.

Frank House, Wharfedale chairman, said: "The kids will be in the clubhouse, which is on two storeys with the upstairs sponsors' room used as the senior room and the two rooms downstairs used as other classrooms.

"We also have two car parks at the club, one at the front and one at the rear and the rear will be used as a children's playground, while the front will be used for dropping off and picking up from the premises."

Mr House continued that the rugby club was the "ideal" premises for the makeshift school, with even a kitchen to serve up the school dinners. He said that the club would be glad to help out as a community gesture and added there was no monetary value in the move for the club.

"It will have to revert from a school back to a rugby club on Friday evenings though, and the school things will be stacked outside over the weekend," he added.

With training taking place in the evenings, Mr House said that disruption would be kept to a minimum.

Quite what the school's resident ghost, Old Pam, will make of it remains to be seen.

"It is said that a former rector of Linton, irritated by the fiddling of a local character called Pam, and upset when the sermon notes the rector left on his desk were torn up, knocked him over. Pam died, but is said to haunt the school. When all is quiet the strains of violin music might be heard," said local author Bill Mitchell.

The school regards Pam as a benign being, and finds him a convenient figure to shoulder the blame for such things as computers going on the blink.

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