AN EAST Riding school has opened its doors to about half of its pupils after flooding this week.
Flash flooding caused damage throughout Cottingham High School, forcing large areas to close.
Yesterday, about 150 sixth-form and Year 11 pupils were able to attend the school.
Today, the new block, technology block and drama and music rooms will be accessible and alternative rooms will be found for lessons.
Chay Bell, assistant headteacher, said: "Our vision is always to get as many back in school as soon as possible.
"That will be the first item on our agenda – getting students back into school and getting their education continuing.
"We can be as creative as possible in re-rooming students into different parts of the school.
"It's the art of the possible – what we can continue, we would hope to continue. Education comes first.
"There will be disruption behind the scenes but, hopefully, it'll be like a graceful swan – underneath we're panicking, but on the surface, it seems like business as usual."
Mr Bell said the degree of damage caused is still unclear financially, but plans for all students to return on Monday are under way and substantial work is expected to take place during the summer holidays.
He said: "I think the water didn't stay for a continued amount of time.
"It was in, flooded and was out within two hours, therefore, I would hope there's not too much medium- term damage and that it's all superficial short-term damage.
"A lot of it is flooring. Once the area is dried out, we can get flooring companies in and I would think the six-week holiday will be a golden opportunity for us to get a number of floors laid.
"We've spoken to our site manager. He knows the challenge ahead of him.
"So, hopefully, the school can be back to normal, as it was, hopefully by early September if not sooner."
Gary Barber, deputy headteacher at the 1,213-pupil school, has been organising alternative rooms so lessons can continue to go ahead.
He said: "It's a very strange event we've gone through. It was so intensely localised and it was torrential and overwhelming
"Hopefully, by Monday, we might have the whole school in."
