HANDS up those of you who were taught in temporary classrooms at some stage of your education?

There will be plenty of arms in the air, no doubt, as such structures have become a common sight in schools around Oxfordshire and beyond.

Now new figures have revealed just how many children may be currently receiving their education in one: 6,659 to be precise.

Of course, it would be wonderful if they could all be swept away and replaced immediately by the county council.

But that is not going to happen for a very long time, if ever, and in our view that is not the end of the world.

There are temporary classrooms which are simply not fit for purpose and the county should do everything it can, as quickly as it can, to get pupils out of them.

A lot of others are perfectly adequate, as headteachers point out today and there is no immediate need to scrap them.

What is important is that the county has a clear and realistic long term schedule for school improvements that will eradicate the worst examples as soon as possible.

In the meantime, some schools may have to redefine the word ‘temporary’ and make do with what they’ve got.