On Tuesday, I visited Tipton St John Primary School with Councillor Jess Bailey to discuss the future of the flood-prone school. The school has endured disruption, given its place on a flood plain. Children have needed to practise exit drills - safely leaving the site using emergency ropes.

Quite rightly, there has long been a push to rebuild the school on a more suitable site. However, there has been considerable concern from parents, given that – after a long slog to secure funding from the Department for Education – the plans recommended constructing a new school on a site in Ottery St Mary.

During my meeting with the Executive Headteacher and one of the Governors, it was made plain to me that the idea of taking the school away from the community was not popular with local residents.

My sympathy lies with the Head and teachers at the school, who just want to be able to do their job of delivering excellent educational outcomes in a safe setting where the buildings are not falling apart, and the facilities are not afflicted by flood water and silt.

Over the past few months, I have spent a lot of time speaking to people on doorsteps. Speaking to Ottery residents, some suspected that the proposal to move the school to the town might be a way for developers to build more houses at unsuitable sites on the outskirts of the town - particularly as Ottery is already affected by congestion.

We all want to see our children learning in modern, warm, and safe classrooms. But we must ensure that any potential relocation of the school site is not forced upon parents and pupils. The County Council and Department for Education need to enter into an honest discussion about the options - and what can be achieved.

The funding for a rebuild is there. Parents, the school and the community want the rebuild to take place within Tipton itself, and there are many proposals on the table of how to do that. As your MP, I am going to ask questions of the Department for Education. In line with feedback that has been received in a recent consultation, we need to ensure that no stone is left unturned in seeking to keep Tipton St John Primary School in Tipton.