Fears about the standard of Wickford's new £1.4m primary school have been quelled by Education bosses.

Essex County Council said families on the Wick housing estate had every reason to look forward to Oakfield School opening in January 2000.

Local councillors had accused the education authority of "penny-pinching" because the school, off Maitland Road, is to have a metal roof and no footpath.

They claimed the roof would be far too noisy in bad weather and the lack of path meant young children would have to cross roads alone or walk on muddy grass verges.

But the council said the building would complement other facilities in the area and met all the latest standards.

A profiled metal roof was extremely durable and similar designs had been featured on dozens of public buildings in Essex, including the new terminal at Stansted Airport.

A sloping tiled roof was considered too conspicuous in a residential area despite costing less than a metal one.

Education chiefs added that the land a new footpath would run through was owned by Basildon Council and therefore it was up to that authority to decide whether one should be laid.

Rene Morris, chairman of the county council's education committee, said: "The future for Oakfield is an exciting one with a first rate building to serve a popular and thriving new housing development on the Wick.

"I can fully understand the current doubts about a partly constructed building in a residential area but the county council is strongly committed to providing a high class learning environment for primary aged children when the school opens next year.

"The appointment of Annette McGibbon as headteacher, winner of the best primary head in the region to qualify for the National Teachers' Award, is another reason to ensure an innovative future for the school."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.