Cullingworth First School governors have demanded a new building before it becomes a primary school.

In a report to Bradford council's resources and buildings sub-committee, which met on Wednesday, governors claim the present site is 'inadequate and structurally unsound to convert to an efficient modern primary school'.

They query the plans for extensions to convert the school into a primary, saying the education of the children would suffer. The planned new school would cater for pupils aged four to eleven and the standard admission number would be 45, which would allow for a capacity of 315 children.

Cullingworth head-teacher Chris Irelan-Bunting says: "What we are really concerned about is the loss of some of our playing fields, which is what would be the result should this building work go ahead. We will need these playing fields should the school become a primary.

"We also can't imagine how it's going to be built right across the front of the school.

"So, we have come up with an alternative suitable site in the village for the new school and it could be built without disrupting the children.

"Bradford is also expecting our village to expand and there is nowhere for it to expand except on our present school site, so we are suggesting the land on which the present school is built on be sold for housing to offset the cost of building a new school on a new site."

He declined to reveal the location of the 'alternative site'.

Members of the sub-committee noted the comments made by the governors.

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