THE outdoor toilets at a Derbyshire school are not just unpopular with the children who use them.

Despite Dame Catherine Harpur School, in Ticknall, having a good academic record since its running was taken on by a group of parents, Government inspectors have also condemned them and said they must go.

For the past four years, various events have been held to raise £200,000 for an ambitious plan to bring the toilets indoors, revamp the kitchen, provide a medical room and build a new classroom.

But with only £46,000 in the bank and a deadline looming for the most vital work to have been carried out, parents have scaled back their plans and renewed their fund-raising efforts.

Closure could be the ultimate sanction if the work is not completed in time – but the school's head teacher, Margaret Whyte, is determined this will not be the case.

Mrs Whyte says she is not convinced the school would be closed by the Office for Standards in Education just because it had not managed to make the accommodation improvements, as its education standards are judged to be "good".

She said: "We can't be sure, because there is so much emphasis on safeguarding children, and it would be a real shame if not having the right toilets was put before the fact that pupils are happy, well balanced and learning well."

The school was first closed more than two decades ago by Derbyshire County Council, but was taken over by parents in 1987, who decided to run it themselves. Four years ago they put together a plan to improve the outdated buildings and they started fund-raising.

Two years later, Ofsted inspectors visited and were impressed by the education standards, but unimpressed by some of the facilities, such as the outside toilets, which didn't sit well with the tightening up of safeguarding children laws.

The inspectors noted in their 2008 report that the school needed to "improve the washroom facilities for staff and pupils" and "provide facilities for pupils who are ill".

But the teachers showed them the improvement plans, confident they would be achieved before the next inspection in 2011. Mrs Whyte said: "At the time they visited, our original fund-raising campaign was well under way and we proudly showed the inspectors our proposed improvement plans."

Since the last inspection, the school has installed a new staff toilet and temporary medical room and reported what has been done to Ofsted.

But it still has mainly outdoor toilets for pupils and just one indoor toilet, which is inadequate for the number of children.

With 14 months left before the next inspection – but nowhere near enough money – the plans have been scaled down, giving them a £125,000 target.

Mrs Whyte, said: "We had become concerned because we had only raised a quarter of the money and so decided to reduce the amount and scale back the project, removing the extra classroom from the scheme.

"Now the money we have raised so far seems much nearer the final total and if we can get to £75,000 we can start to put down the foundations for a small extension to house indoor toilets and a medical room."

With just 28 pupils in the main school and 16 – eight at any one time – in the nursery, fund-raising needs to extend beyond the school.

"There are only so many times you can go back to parents for money," said Mrs Whyte.

"Everyone throws themselves into the fund-raising, but we are trying to come up with new ideas that involve more of the community."

Despite extensive research to try to find a funding source that would help them move the toilets indoors, parent Susan Morris, who has a daughter Emma, 10, at the school, has drawn a blank.

"We have been given new toilets to use when the building work is complete but there doesn't seem to be a grant available to help us install them," said Mrs Morris.

"So while we continue to trawl for grants, we have come up with a number of new fund-raising ideas that will, hopefully, help the situation.

"These include a sponsor-a brick project and we are hoping that former pupils will take a pride in their relationship with the school and purchase one at £25 a time.

"We also have a spring craft fair coming up, together with our annual art exhibition.

"We are open to suggestions as to how we can raise the money. In the past this has included head shaving, raffles and sponsored walks."

The school's charitable trust pays for ongoing maintenance such as new windows and general improvements.

Mrs Whyte said: "It would be a shame if the school that started out in 1744 to provide education for "six poor girls and six poor boys from the village" fails to make these improvements and the inspectors feel they have to close us.

"This school has been a part of the village for more than 200 years and our pupils move on to do well in secondary schools across the area.

"We have new people on our committee and are ready to make a real push ready to impress the inspectors when they return next year."

Anyone with fund-raising ideas, or who could offer any building work in kind, should contact the school on Derby 862792.