Ash Green arson attack: Work to start on rebuilding Mixenden school

The new build at Ash Green Community Primary School will feature bigger classrooms and will be able to generate its own electricity, Calderdale Council says

Work on rebuilding a West Yorkshire school which was hit by an arson attack is set to begin.

Ash Green Community Primary School in Mixenden, near Halifax, was set alight on 1 February 2022, with four classrooms and other areas destroyed.

The worst-affected building had to be demolished, with the rest of the school left with smoke damage.

A new build connecting to the existing school will feature bigger classrooms and accessibility improvements.

A new play area would also be created, Calderdale Council said, with teaching at the school continuing throughout the construction in temporary classrooms.

The fire at Ash Green Primary School destroyed four classrooms

Councillor Jane Scullion, Calderdale Council leader, said: "The whole school community has shown incredible resilience since the fire and the local kindness shown in the immediate aftermath was truly heart-warming, with people offering to help with the clean-up and supporting fundraising.

"I'm pleased that we'll soon be able to provide the area with this great new facility."

Aaron Foster, who broke into the school before setting it alight, was jailed for life in October last year.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, headteacher Mungo Sheppard described how "one mindless act" had ripped the heart out of an entire community.

Discussing the construction project, Mr Sheppard said: "The next few months are very exciting as we look to get our children back where they belong in 2024."