It’s school, kids, but not as you know it.

Nearly 500 students at Mount Lawley Primary School have returned from the holidays to find a temporary version of their historic school which was razed by fire just two weeks ago.

Education Minister Peter Collier said a new $3 million primary school would be built at the original Second Avenue site by the start of the 2014 school year.

Mt Lawley Primary before the fire.

“While any option outside of having the students be able to undertake studies as normal at the old school isn’t ideal, I believe that keeping the children together at one site goes a long way to helping them, their parents and staff deal with the tragedy of their school burning down,” Mr Collier said.

“By temporarily locating the primary school at Mount Lawley Senior High School, every primary student from kindergarten to year 7 can attend school as one group, which is what parents want.”

Government insurance agency RiskCover has provided the school with $400,000 to buy resources for each classroom and help replace personal and school equipment lost in the fire.

Students will be able to play at nearby Hamer Park, where parking has also been made available for staff and parents.

Much of 100-year-old Mount Lawley Primary School was destroyed in a deliberately lit blaze on the first weekend of the winter school holidays.