Otley Primary School, near Ipswich, set to switch to online learning after blaze

A primary school in a Suffolk village will temporarily switch to online learning after a blaze.

At 3.37pm yesterday, firefighters were called to Otley Primary School, in Chapel Street, following reports that a fire had started in a toilet block.

An engine from Woodbridge was first to attend followed by another seven crews – five from Ipswich, one from Framlingham and another from Elmswell.

The fire, which spread to the roof, forced the school to shut for today.

However, Hannah Evans, executive headteacher for Otley and Witnesham Federated Primary Schools, said the school will switch to online learning from tomorrow.

Ms Evans said: “Following the fire yesterday afternoon, we are devastated for the children and staff who work so hard for the school. The children’s wellbeing is at the heart of all decisions we will be making over the coming days.

“Our first priority is to provide online learning provision from tomorrow. We will continue to update parents and carers as we go through the process.

“We would like to thank our staff, parents, community and especially the fire service for all their support during this very difficult time. Thank you.”

As a reader, we know the value you place on trusted local journalism. At SuffolkNews we are committed to delivering the very best coverage from communities right across the county, and we can only do this with the support of our readers.

By becoming a subscriber you not only support us in this mission, you also unlock a whole host of benefits, including unlimited access to our ad-lite SuffolkNews website and digital editions of all our weekly newspapers. You can find out more about subscriptions here.

Use the promo code AshJones to get an annual subscription for less than £25 - we really appreciate your support. Thank you.