The old tin and glass building is set to be demolished

Bryniago Bach in Pontarddulais was closed on Monday and Tuesday afternoons as classrooms were too hot for pupils.

They were not affected on Wednesday as it was sports day but the rest of the week depends on the weather.

Hot spells have shut the school before and after years of complaints a new three-classroom block is finally set to replace the old tin and glass annexe.

Bryniago Bach is the nursery and reception section of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Bryniago and is based in a building close to the main school that was put up as temporary accommodation in the late 1940s.

Despite six air conditioning units to keep temperatures down head teacher Catherine Davies said parents of nursery school pupils had been strongly advised not to bring their children during the hot spell.

It is not the first time hot weather has shut the nursery school

"It's just about bearable for the reception class but it's a case of trying to keep the numbers down."

She said she could not wait for the new building work to start as temperatures had been a problem for many years.

She said temperatures in the classrooms had been above 30C.

School governor John Miles said parents, staff and pupils had complained about unbearable heat in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter.

"It was built over 50 years ago and was supposed to be temporary and is a totally inadequate building to serve the purposes of today," he said.

Exceptional temperatures

"One side is all glass and in the winter it is very cold and in the summer it has had to shut before but only in the last two or three years has it been this extreme.

"About 70 to 80 pupils use it as there are two nursery classes in the morning and two in the afternoons.

"We are having a new three-classroom building being built by the end of the financial year. Hopefully work will start as soon as possible."

Swansea's local education authority said it had secured a grant from the Welsh Assembly Government for a new early years block.

"The LEA has been working closely with the school over the design of the building and construction will be completed by February 2006," said a spokeswoman.