KAREN Canham, head teacher of Haygrove School, which was due to be rebuilt on Queenswood Farm, gave this reaction to last week's Government announcement that the scheme would not be going ahead.

She said: “It's devastating for us. It just seems so unfair that all our efforts and time working on the BSF project appear in vain.

“It's really torn everybody at the school apart. The staff are devastated and so are the students, especially those who have helped throughout the design process.

“Our site speaks for itself; it's woefully small.

“Every day we feel we are compromising everything we do for the pupils.

"The children do well but I cannot help but wonder how much better they would do with a new school.”

The Mercury also spoke to pupils Ella Sprouting, aged 13, Leszek Wierzchleyski, 12, and Charlotte Waters, aged 13.

Ella said: “This wasn't going to be a school designed by adults who think they know what kids like.

"It would've been designed by kids, who know what a school should be like.

“This is the biggest thing that's ever happened here, and we would have been part of it, so to think it's not going to happen is really sad.

“Bridgwater needs something like this; we are not going anywhere as a town.

“It's absolutely essential that we get a new school.”

Leszek said: “My brother is ten and will be starting school in September next year.

"I wanted to make a really good school for him.

“The corridors are so cramped here that sometimes you worry you're going to set the fire alarm off.”

Charlotte said: “We need people to come to our school to see how much we need a new school and how much of a struggle it is.

“Our corridors are so narrow if you have children from every year group walking along them at the same time, you get squished - we just haven't got enough space.

“We put so much work into this. It's really hard to take.

“I was most looking forward to the fact that the new school would have been bigger, brighter, and more kid-like.

“This school is ok but it's so dull, and it's so cramped you feel like you are in prison.

“If you have a building that's bright and modern, kids would want to come to school.”