BARNSLEY Academy students face another two years of lessons in rundown classrooms - despite being promised a controversial new 'superschool' this year.

The £25m building will be delayed by at least two years until 2009 due to legal wrangles over footpaths which criss-cross the site.

Until then lessons will carry on in the rundown Elmhirst buildings, built in 1952.

Religious group the United Learning Trust took control of Elmhirst last August and was due to move premises this September. But work on the Bank End playing field site has not even started.

Academy spokesman Nigel Barber told the Chronicle the delay would be at least two years but added the Elmhirst buildings are 'fit for purpose'.

He said: "There has been some funding to make temporary repairs to make sure it is fit for teaching. It is fit for purpose but there were one or two issues following the storms earlier this year.

"We are also having new science classrooms that will tide things over until the new academy is built."

The council's children's services spokeswoman, Linda Burgess, said staying in Elmhirst was not problematic because it has always been well maintained.

However, Coun Jim Smith (Independent Group) wants the issue to be resolved for the pupils' sake.

He said: "There are well established footpaths which have been used for well over 20 years. But a decision has to be made quickly about where the academy is going to be built. It needs resolving because it is not fair for the children.

"It needs a quick decision. The Academy is trying to improve things down at Elmhirst and they have spent money upgrading IT to assist the children. But there is a limit to what they will spend when they know the building is going to come down."

•FUll story in this week's Chronicle.