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Fire-Damaged School Starts Term From Home

Friday, 4 September 2026 08:53

Pupils at a fire-damaged Norfolk primary school are beginning the new term remotely before moving into temporary accommodation near Shipdham.

Pupils at a primary school badly damaged by fire are starting the new term learning from home.

Around 240 children at Thomas Bullock Primary Academy in Shipdham, near Dereham, are receiving remote lessons for the first seven days of term while temporary accommodation is prepared.

The fire broke out at the school on 13 August during a period of extreme heat.

It was later found to have been caused by refracted sunlight passing through a Perspex canopy in an outdoor area at the front of the school.

The blaze spread into the building, damaging five areas including classrooms.

Ten fire crews were sent to the incident and nobody was injured.

The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, which runs the school, says staff have been working quickly to maintain pupils’ education while the damaged site is assessed and repaired.

Home-learning resource packs have also been provided to children during the temporary closure.

The trust says its priority is to keep the period of remote learning as short as possible and return pupils to face-to-face lessons.

Temporary accommodation is being arranged while longer-term repairs to the school building continue.

School leaders have also thanked families and the wider Shipdham community for their support following the fire.

 

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