PUPILS at a fire-damaged school will be taught in temporary classrooms until they can move into a new £3m building.

Darlington Borough Council has applied for planning permission to build two temporary classrooms and a dining room at Middleton St George Primary School.

The school was badly damaged by fire earlier this year and since then the pupils have been taught in the old Firthmoor Primary School in Darlington.

The council is hoping to move the children back to their own school site after the Easter holidays, but some lessons will have to be taught in temporary rooms.

A council spokesman said: "The parts of the school that were not badly damaged by fire will be open after Easter but some parts of the building will remain closed.

"This will mean that some pupils will have to use the temporary classrooms until their new school is built, which could be next year or 2005."

The new school will serve both Middleton St George and nearby Sadberge and will include a nursery. Middleton St George Primary School and Sadberge CE Primary School will close to make way for the new school.