IT is the people, not the buildings, that really matter.

That was the message from David Clark, head teacher of Archbishop Lanfranc School, at his most optimistic after learning the Government had pulled the plug on plans to rebuild the school.

SMILING THROUGH ADVERSITY: David Clark, head teacher of Archbishop Lanfranc
CRACKING UP: Land under the school is slowly sinking, exposing some nasty gaps
LACK OF SPACE: Narrow corridors make getting around the school difficult for pupils between lessons
Photo No: CCRPM070710C04 by Paul Martyniuk
LITTLE ROOM: Demand for more specialist teaching space at Lanfranc has resulted in the enforced creation of cramped classrooms CCRPM070710C01 by Paul Martyniuk
WORN OUT: The tired-looking main school buildings at Lanfranc

With his immediate hopes dashed, Mr Clark has to remain positive that the Government will come up with new funding streams, some of which will come his school's way.

If there is a flag carrier for the need to rebuild schools in Croydon, it is Lanfranc.

Originally built in the 1950s and modernised and expanded over the decades since, the school is tired. Mr Clark said: "The building is just not suitable for the 21st century. It was built to take 800 pupils and there are now 1,050. We need modern facilities to meet the changing requirements for a wider range of courses."

It does not help that the school was built on a landfill site, which has a habit of shifting, resulting in gaps under the walls of the main buildings, ominous-looking slopes where land has sunk and playing fields with the appearance of corrugated iron.

Some of the buildings are adorned with weird vents designed to disperse methane from the rotting waste underneath into the atmosphere.

Mr Clark insists, with a wry smile, the buildings are not actually dangerous – they are just not up to the job of coping with modern requirements.

Staircases and corridors are narrow, causing bottlenecks at peak pupil movement times.

Girls' toilets and boys' cloakrooms have been converted into classrooms to meet the demand for more teaching space.

And the school does not have enough labs to deal with the number of pupils wanting to take science courses.

In the face of all this adversity, Mr Clark said: "The people are more important than the buildings and having the right sort of teachers is more important than having new buildings."

This combination of keen pupils and teachers helps Mr Clark have faith that the school will nurture its talent and remain at the heart of the community.

Mr Clark added: "The vibes we are still getting is that the council wants us to have a new school."

He will want those vibes to also reach the ears of the Government.