Families 'heartbroken' by damage to lifeline school

Families and pupils say they have been left "heartbroken" after a major fire caused devastating damage to a school.

The Promise School in Okehampton, Devon which teaches children with special educational needs has closed for the "immediate future" after a fire tore through the site on Sunday.

One parent, Elizabeth, said: "This place is the one place that they (the children) feel accepted and are treated like normal people and they've had this snatched away overnight."

The Dartmoor Multi-academy Trust said online learning provision would be provided in the short-term while it developed "contingency arrangements" with Devon County Council and the Department for Education.

In its latest update at 22:30 on Monday, Devon and Somerset Fire Service said crews remained at the scene and 100% of the school's roof and first floor along with 80% of the ground floor had been "severely damaged".

Elizabeth, who has a son who attends the school - which was officially opened in 2022, said he had needs which could not be met in mainstream classes.

"Then he got in here and he's been thriving," she said.

Her son was "absolutely heartbroken" about not being able to attend school, she said.

Elizabeth added she felt confused, upset and heartbroken by the impact of the fire.

Kat, from Tiverton, has six children, one of them - Tommy - attends the school.

She said: "We are in a Whatsapp group a lot of the mums and we all shed a tear, you know, because for us it's a lifeline."

Kat found out about the fire after one of her friends messaged her and told her about it.

"I looked on Facebook and lo and behold, yeah, it was on fire," Kat said.

She said at first she did not think it was too serious until drone images showed the extent and "that's when it really hit that, Tommy's school has gone".

Kat added: "We have struggled for years trying to get him the right provision.

"Knowing how hard we fought for children with send needs to get this placement, for it to be gone, it's just shocking."

Danielle said her son was "devastated" by the fire.

"He's just actually seen a picture of his class online and he's got no class left," she said.

She said her son had "come on leaps and bounds" since he started attending the school and added the process of getting the provision he needed was really difficult.

"It's going to be like starting again," Danielle added.

Aimee, whose son attended the school since September 2024, said it felt "very surreal".

She said it was a lifeline to have a SEND school and somewhere her son wanted to go.

She said it had not been perfect for her son but "he's definitely come a long way since September 2024, he's yet to process this fully".

The Dartmoor Multi-academy Trust said it was working closely with the local authority and Department for Education to develop contingency plans for pupils.

A statement from the trust said it had contacted every parent "to ensure they knew what had happened and to let them know details for online learning for the immediate period will be shared shortly."

Councillor Denise Bickley, Devon County Council's cabinet member for children's services - SEND, described the fire as an "unprecedented situation".

She added the council was doing what it could to support the "mammoth task" being faced by the trust.

"We can't just magic up a school," Bickley told John Acres on BBC Radio Devon.

"It's a massive job, so we just have to see how this plan plays out and see if another building can become available.

"There's lots and lots of things on the table at the moment, we just have to let them do their job."

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