A FIRE at a Calverton school was caused by hot coals which had been dropped in a bin.

The fire service received dozens of calls from people who had spotted the fire at Sir John Sherbrooke Junior School, in Flatts Lane, at about 12.15pm on Monday.

Crews arrived within ten minutes to battle the blaze, in a shed containing a wood-burning stove.

A spokeswoman for Notts Fire and Rescue Service said coal was believed to have been taken out of the stove and discarded in a bin, which then caught fire.

She said it was thought the fire started accidentally.

"The fire spread to the rest of the building," the spokeswoman said.

"It was contained very well by our crews, who got there in time. The building was extensively damaged."

Four fire crews from Arnold, Carlton and Central fire stations fought the blaze and were at the scene for about three hours. The school was empty because it is half-term, and no-one was hurt.

The shed contains a boiler and silo through which wood pellets are transferred into the boiler. As a result of the fire, the silo was destroyed.

But a spokesman for Notts County Council, which runs the school, said a temporary silo would be put in place to ensure the boiler could still be supplied with wood pellets.

This, the spokesman said, would ensure that the heating was working by Monday, when pupils returned from their break.

Head teacher Sally Hill said: "We have been very impressed with the response from the county council, who have acted to get the school up and running for Monday.

"Thankfully, the school was closed for half-term when the incident took place.

"There is no damage to classrooms but some damage to kitchen windows externally, which have been boarded up pending repair.

"There is not expected to be any interference with school meals next week.

"At present, the school is expected to be open as normal on Monday."

A parent from the school, who did not want to be named, told the Post: "I don't like to think about what might have happened if the kids had been in there."

Mike Hope, chairman of Calverton Parish Council, said accidents were unavoidable.

"Nobody likes having a fire in the area but I'm very pleased the main school buildings stayed untouched.

"Thank goodness it didn't spread to the main school – at least that's something positive to take from this incident.

"And it's good the fire happened during half-term as well, because it means there was no opportunity for children to panic."