CHILDREN have been forced to stay at home after wet weather delayed the finish of a £750,000 project at their school.

Parents were e-mailed just days before term started and a message went on the Loders School website that children could not return until September 13, a week later than planned.

Parent Ros Kayes said some parents were considering legal action over the delay.

Mrs Kayes said: "They started work around Easter for two new buildings at the back of the school and new classrooms.

"The school is desperately in need of new space and have been trying for this extension for years and years.

"Legally the school can't begin until the county has agreed that the work has been done but the school is full of dangerous rubbish and there will be nowhere safe to play.

"It always was a very adventurous plan, there was no way it was going to be completed."

She added, that to help, children broke up early at the end of the summer term and were due back later than other primary schools.

Another parent, who asked not to be named, said the key issue was whether the school will be ready to open properly on Monday or not.

"If it is then this can probably all be written off as an unfortunate delay, which has caused inconvenience to parents and to people in the village of Loders, but which has not caused too great damage.

"Parents will have been irritated. Children will have enjoyed an extra week of holiday and all of those concerned will have had a few sleepless nights - but this will be forgiven and forgotten as we all celebrate the school getting its much needed extension.

"If the problem continues beyond Monday, then it is begins to become disastrous."

A spokesman for the Parent Teachers' Association said other parents were supporting the school at a difficult time.

"It has caused some inconvenience to those who can't afford childminders and have had to take time off work but we are going to have a lovely school building and we feel that we want to support the head Mike Kite - he's put in his whole summer holiday."

County education officer Richard Malyon said school staff were allowed access to some of the site on Wednesday to sort out the new offices and classrooms in the main building but areas were always due to be handed back on September 17.

He is confident the school will reopen on Monday, albeit with restricted areas.

He said: "We knew it was going to be a close run thing because of the amount of work that needed to be done and it has been the wettest August for 50 years and we have paid the price by a week.

"It is very unfortunate but you can't blame the contractor."