PUPILS at Manor CE School in York will get an extra two days' holiday after a delay in building work at the school.

The start of the new term has been delayed by two days due to an over-run in building work.

The secondary school, which has about 650 pupils, was due to re-open on Wednesday, but pupils are now being asked to delay their return until Friday.

The school is contacting all parents of Year Seven pupils - who were due at the school as first formers on Wednesday - to inform them of the delay and has also made arrangements to supervise any children who do turn up for school on Wednesday and Thursday.

The building work is part of a major £750,000 overhaul, which includes a new performing arts centre, new front-of-school and reception area and toilets.

The school said essential structural work for the project had been carried out over the long summer break, but clearing up had taken slightly longer than expected.

Brian Crosby, the school's new head teacher, said: "We would obviously like to apologise to parents for the delay but this is a major project bringing really important benefits to the school, its students and the community.

"This a high-quality project and the contractors are doing a superb job and the last thing we want to do is to rush any stage of the work.

"This part of the work had to be done over the summer holiday to minimise disruption and while we have been trying as late as today to ensure the work is finished by Wednesday, in the end it just wasn't possible."

He said the delay in re-opening the school after the summer break was not related to any problems in checks of new teachers at the Criminal Records Bureau.

Two years ago, the start of term was delayed twice when the new extension at Canon Lee School in Clifton was opened, with most pupils starting school a week late.

Updated: 10:08 Saturday, August 31, 2002