A village primary school gutted by fire last month has been overwhelmed by offers of help from businesses and other schools.

Staff and governors at Marsh Baldon Primary School have thanked businesses which donated gifts, and the neighbouring schools which lent boxes of toys and play equipment.

Pupils are due to return to temporary buildings at the school before the Easter holiday, after temporarily taking lessons at the Global Retreat Centre in Nuneham Park.

Oxford United chairman Firoz Kassam has offered the school free access to facilities, including the computer suite at the Learning Centre, the new swimming pool at the Ozone Health and Fitness centre and access to the cinema.

School governor John Clark said: "Their response to our plight was immediate and could not have been more generous. Bonuses for the children were seeing the Oxford United players and being given the chance to do a lap of honour round the pitch."

Snappy Snaps photography shop in Oxford sent the children 60 disposable cameras so they could record their temporary stay at the retreat centre.

RM computers also donated five computers to help pupils get back to work. Other contibutions came from JSP Stationery, Asda, WHSmith, Johns Booksellers and Hertford College.

Headteacher Jo Capel Davies said: "We are so grateful to all the schools who immediately got in touch with us and generously lent us boxes of Lego, jigsaws and other play equipment."

Alison Barne, chairman of the school's governors, said the local education authority had put the whole school into temporary accommodation on the school site as quickly as possible.

She said: "There have been huge logistical challenges in getting the machinery and equipment across two fields to the school site."

The cause of the fire is believed to be related building work at the school, which was due to finish shortly after the blaze occured on February 24.

Rebuilding work is expected to take at least a year.