CHILDREN as young as four are facing a 36-mile daily round trip to lessons while urgent repair work is carried out at the Bellingham middle and first school site.

New flues need to be installed to the chimney which serves the boilers for the schools – just weeks after classes returned to normal after the six-week summer break.

A message on the first school website warned parents of the work, which will affect classes between October 16 and 19, and advised that first school pupils would be taught at Kielder First School.

It is understood alternative locations for lessons for middle school pupils are currently being explored – including Bellingham town hall and the Masonic Hall.

A spokeswoman for Northumberland County Council said: “The chimney will be taken down to a safe level and new flues installed to serve boilers for the schools.

“The location of the chimney and the work involved means that both schools will need to be closed, in order to ensure the safety of children and staff.

“In order to minimise disruption the work has been arranged to coincide with October half term. It will however take longer than one week, so it has been agreed that it will start in the week before half term. There is a teacher training day on Friday, October 20, so this essential work will only impact pupils for four days.

“We have been liaising with school staff to agree suitable arrangements whereby classes can still take place during that week and these arrangements will be communicated to parents by the schools.

“Both schools are determined to continue delivering exciting and challenging education to their pupils on the four days which they are affected.”

The schools are expected to return to normal on October 30.