YOUNGSTERS and teachers celebrated the official opening of a new school hall in Clevedon.

On October 18, a ceremony was held at St Nicholas Chantry Primary School, where thousands-of-pounds have been spent improving the site.

North Somerset Council’s director of children and young people’s services, Sheila Smith, unveiled a plaque on the new hall and a thanksgiving service was also held with children performing songs and poems.

The building was one part of a set of �660,000 improvements that have been completed, which also included refurbishing the children’s toilets, an improved school entrance, new boilers and a new car park.

As well as a new hall, the new building also includes a brand new school kitchen and disabled toilet.

It was created on what was the school car park at the Highdale Avenue site and the hall is now used for assemblies, during lunchtimes, for dance and drama classes and school concerts.

It is also used by the North Somerset Music Service for orchestra practice.

Headteacher Peter Treasure-Smith said: “The finished project is the single biggest improvement on the site for decades. “We now have a hall where the whole school can meet, we have a modern kitchen producing excellent school dinners with a dedicated kitchen team and we have so much more room in our daily assemblies to do things differently.

“Children can present their learning to parents in different ways and we can put on our own special events in a comfortable, flexible and smart space.

“The Friends Association can expand their fund-raising activities and the local community can benefit from the hall too.”