PLANS to replace an existing school cloakroom with a single-storey extension and canopied area have come to fruition, thanks to a £150,000 Department of Education grant.

At Weston Under Penyard Primary School’s formal opening ceremony last week, performed by the school’s oldest pupil Emily Hayward,10, which was conducted in front of the invited guests and the pupils who had made triangular flags for the occasion.

Headteacher Luisa Lee-Smith said: “Today we are celebrating a remarkable period of achievement with the new Hazel Class. The school has had a lot of investment for this project, which also expands our nursery provision.

“We can now see this vision for a safe, inspiring environment, being brought to life where our pupils can grow deep routes of learning kindness and confidence for many years to come.

“This formal opening comes at an exciting time, thanks to a Department for Education grant of £150,000 for this building. This extension means we have more space for the nursery children.”

Ms Lee-Smith quipped that at one stage in the building process said that the new canopy resembled a railway station, but as the works progressed it took on its new role as an outside classroom space.

She added: “As part of this process of renovating the school the local dioceses have provided the funds to upgrade the building’s windows and ceilings at the same time.

“Beth Stevens, the school’s executive headteacher of the River Wye Federation and I are both proud that this school is one of only two establishments in Herefordshire to obtain this DofE grant.

“This school believes in small class sizes and having enriching outdoor opportunities which this new extension provides.”

Away from the new extension celebrations Ms Lee-Smith revealed to the invited guests that as an added pressure during the building work, the school was subject to two inspections.

“We had our Ofsted and Siams inspections, both of which went very well,” concluded Ms Lee-Smith.