WESTLEA Primary School will receive £250,000 to upgrade its classrooms and facilities.

The school will have a share of £560 million pledged by the government as part of a school building programme.

This funding will ensure schools have well-maintained facilities to provide students with safe environments that support a high-quality education.

Headteacher Sarah Sumner said the announcement took her by surprise and there are plenty of things the money could be spent on.

She added: "It came as a shock, I'm still quite overwhelmed. I'm constantly applying for grants and this is such a generous amount.

"It's like a recognition of how hard the staff have worked and came at just the right time. We will put the money to good use and make the school even better.

"The school is nearly 40 years old so a lot of it needs improving. I'll discuss with the governors and draw up a plan.

"We could replace the roof, develop outdoor areas like the playground, improve the environment inside and out, and weatherproof the early years area so they can play all year round.

"I'm a big advocate of the importance of outdoor learning so that's an area I would like to focus on.

“Since taking on the headship, I have spent a lot of time and energy on making the school look loved. The money will be fully invested in making the school a vibrant educational environment for the children."

Chair of governors Bob Barrett added: “On behalf of the school community, I want to say how grateful we are for this very generous award. The money will be very carefully invested into improving all aspects of the school.”

South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: “Coronavirus has taken a toll on us all, not least our children, who have been kept from their friends, their teachers and their schools.

“As we exit lockdown, we must focus on getting children back to school – and ensure that schools have the facilities and classrooms they need to support the high-quality education our children deserve.”

The funding was announced by the prime minister last month as part of his New Deal for Britain to help the nation bounce back from coronavirus by investing in infrastructure, skills and creating jobs.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Investing in school and college buildings helps create modern environments that lend themselves to great teaching, making sure every child has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

“We have worked at great speed to release this additional £560m of condition funding to schools for projects this year to kick-start the economy and get the country moving again following coronavirus.

“This funding brings the total allocated to improve the condition of our school buildings to £2 billion this year, and paves the way for our new transformative ten-year school building programme starting later this year with over £1 billion funding for the first wave of 50 schools.”