For Northchapel Primary School and Little Oaks Preschool in Petworth, the start of 2025 marks a triumphant comeback after severe flooding left their facilities in ruins last summer. The flash flood last August caused catastrophic damage to three classrooms, the corridors, offices, and the £30,000 outdoor play area.

The floodwaters destroyed everything in the early years’ classrooms, from books and toys to rugs and essential learning materials. Despite insurance covering structural repairs, vital replacements such as educational resources and the outdoor play surface were excluded, leaving the school reliant on community support.

Andy James, Chair of Governors, said: “It was awful. Seeing all the hard work and investment wiped out was heart-wrenching. I thought we wouldn’t recover in time for the new school year.”

To minimise disruption, the school acted swiftly, relocating the preschool and clubs to the village hall and reorganising classrooms. Meanwhile, a massive fundraising effort began, supported by the Northchapel community, to replace uninsured items and restore the outdoor play area.

Now, after months of extensive repairs, the school’s new state-of-the-art facilities have been unveiled.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have our classrooms back,” said Headteacher Deborah Coggin. “The floods presented a huge challenge for our school and community, but thanks to the hard work of our staff, contractors, and the support from the local authority, our state of the art facilities are better than ever!”

“We can finally breathe a sigh of relief,” said Katy Brown, whose daughters attend the school. “It’s been a long term of uncertainty, but now we’re excited to see the kids back in their classrooms.”

Work on the outdoor play area will continue later this year once drainage improvements are completed. The school is now inviting prospective families to tour its newly refurbished facilities.

To support the school’s ongoing recovery, visit: justgiving.com/page/northchapelptaflood