Tideway School, Newhaven, is currently being rebuilt at a cost of £10.8 million after being deliberately set on fire in 2005.

The school is currently using 20 portable classrooms while construction takes place. This month it was forced to apply for six more.

Work was due to be completed in October this year with most of it planned to take place in the summer holidays to ensure children's education was disrupted as little as possible.

But an East Sussex County Council spokesman said pupils would return to six more months in temporary classrooms after steel was delivered late and the contractors experienced some bad spring weather.

'Problems encountered with unforeseen ground conditions and the existing structures, storm damage during the extreme weather in March, and delays in delivery of steelwork have impacted on the completion date of the new buildings,' he said.

'However, the whole team is working hard to minimise the anticipated delay.

'The whole construction process has been reviewed and progress on site has been accelerated.

'This is a major and logistically complicated redevelopment project costing over £10m which involves elements of both new build and refurbishment and we have been determined from the outset to minimise the disruption to pupils.

'We regret that due to the above circumstances the new building won't be ready in time for the October handover we had targeted.

'We will continue working with the consultants and contractors to ensure that the works are completed as quickly as possible so that pupils and staff can start to use their fantastic new building and get the fresh start they so deserve.'