SCHOOLCHILDREN in Huntington, Chester returned to a brand new school after their half term break.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has worked closely with Huntington Community Primary School to build a contemporary new school on Aldford Road in Huntington, providing a modern learning environment that will benefit the community and generations of children for years to come.

The £7 million school has been built to replace the old building on Butterbache Road and will cater for up to 420 pupils, doubling the school's capacity to meet demand without the need for mobile classrooms.

Spacious classrooms, a large glass fronted hall and the latest technology, such as interactive display panels and fibre broadband, will provide students with a top class learning environment.

The extensive grounds include a drop-off zone for parents transporting children to school and a junior and adult sports pitch for community use. It is also fully accessible, with a lift to the first floor, accessible doorways and toilets.

Councillor Nicole Meardon, Cabinet Member for Children and Young people, said: "There has been a long-standing commitment to provide Huntington with a new primary school to ensure both current and future generations have the space and facilities they need to achieve their best.

"I'm really pleased that the children have been able to start the half term on the run-up to Christmas in their new school and I'm sure they'll have great fun exploring all the new facilities."

Contractor Kier Construction and its architect have worked closely with the council and the school to ensure that the new building provides a modern learning environment that will meet both current and future pupils' needs.

The two storey Cheshire red brick building meets the latest energy efficiency standards, a key requirement in all new developments by the council, and is fitted with solar panels to further reduce energy consumption and ongoing running costs.

Duncan Rose, headteacher at the school, said: "It is wonderful to see the new school open to Huntington pupils, following a very positive partnership between the council, the school and the staff of Kier Construction. We are sure that the fantastic facilities provided will be appreciated by the whole community for years to come."

Central government funding, secured by the council, plus housing developers' contributions and school funding has been used to build the new school.