75521-138PUPILS have returned to their school three weeks after a fire gutted the computer room.

St Sampson's Junior School in Cricklade was forced to close two days early before Christmas and pupils had an extra four days off at the end of the break to allow staff time to clean up the premises.

But lessons were back on yesterday as the school tried to get back to normal.

"It is now time to put it behind us," said headteacher Andrew Henstridge. "The children are upbeat and pleased to be back."

Two classes years three and six have moved into mobile classrooms in the playground as their rooms were damaged during the fire.

Surveyors declared the building safe on Friday and there has also been cleaning and decorating work to complete before the children could return. "We had the painters in on Thursday and Friday and we have been trying to get rid of the smell," Mr Henstridge said. "That is the lingering reminder of the fire."

Several local people, including the school's chair of governors who was delivering Christmas cards to the school, called the fire brigade when they spotted flames coming from the school on December 19, and firefighters were at the scene all night.

But the fire brigade has been unable to discover the cause of the blaze.

Gary Heap, station officer at Swindon Fire Station, said: "Due to the extent of the damage to the computer suite we were unable to come up with enough evidence to give a definite cause."

Isabel Field