Fire at Hatcham Temple Grove School in New Cross

Just - 9 pm - walked past Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham Temple Grove school in Monson Road (formerly Monson Primary School). Firefighters are still on site pouring water on to the building from above, though there are now no flames visible from the road. The main school building seems to have lost its roof completely, and there's clearly a lot of damage inside the building from fire, smoke and water.

According to the London Fire Brigade earlier this afternoon: 'Ten fire engines and around 50 firefighters have been called to a fire in a school on Monson Road, New Cross. It is thought the building is under refurbishment. A large part of the building’s roof is alight. The Brigade was called at 1513. Firefighters from Lewisham, Greenwich, Peckham, Forest Hill, Brixton, Southwark, Old Kent Road and Deptford fire stations are at the scene. The cause of the blaze is unknown at present'.

Haberdashers took over running the primary school a couple of years ago. They have already announced that the school will be closed until further notice and that 'Plans are currently underway to ensure provision is provided from across the Federation sites for all children returning on Wednesday 21st April'. I guess they could put some modular buildings up on their playing field in St Asaph's Road, Brockley, if necessary -though that would take time.

It's too early to assess the damage, but I would be surprized if the school fully opens again this school year, or even this calendar year. The school was originally built by the London School Board in 1882.

(heard about this via Brockley Central twitter - I can just imagine the conspiracy theories that would have flourished among some BC commenters if the fire had been at Gordonbrook primary school, focus of a bitter dispute between the Brockley Society and advocates of a new building there)