EXCITED children got their hands on a new classroom today - thanks to a £140,000 building project at their school.

Pupils at Pickering Community Infant and Nursery School now have a stone-built classroom complete with glass atrium in which to spread their wings.

Head teacher June Young said the new space, which will be filled with reception children, had been constructed to meet the huge demand for more school places.

"In the previous two years we had two very large intakes of new children," she said.

"There was a bit of fill-in building to create a conservatory area, and this year we have had to use the ICT (information communication technology) suite while the new classroom was being built."

Mrs Young said the children had been watching the building work with interest.

"It's a lovely working environment, it's going to be a real delight to teach and learn in," she added.

When the children currently in reception class come back in September as Year One pupils, they will continue to learn in their new space.

Updated: 10:32 Thursday, April 10, 2003