CHILDREN at a primary school are having a day off today because of a power cut. An electrical fault shut down the heating system at Horsmonden Primary School.

The caretaker noticed the fault when he came in at 7am and alerted the head teacher when he arrived 15 minutes later. At about 7.45am, they decided to close the school until contractors had fixed the problem.

Head teacher, Malcolm Hayes said that many parents heard of the closure before leaving home through an e-mail alert and by word-of-mouth.

He said: “It’s knocked out power in the offices and the boilerhouse, which is the crucial thing on a day like this.”

Other parents did not find out about the power cut until they arrived at the school.