CHILDREN from Mandeville School dressed as Bob the Builder in hard hats and high visibility jackets to watch the demolition of the old part of their school this week.

As part of the major refurbishment and expansion of the Ofsted-rated Outstanding Primary school in Mandeville Drive, building contractors Willmott Dixon Group demolished part of the school to make way for new KS2 classrooms.

Headteacher Amanda Godfrey said: “The children are very excited about what is happening to their school. The whole school watched the building work start, and we invited parents to join us for a large picnic in the school grounds. It was a really lovely afternoon.”

The excited children took part in a countdown and cheered as the building work started.

Children have already moved into temporary classrooms while the building work takes place. It is due to finish in February, 2011.

Parent governor Alison Patel said: “The existing building had come to the end of its life and the new building plans are very exciting. At last we will have a learning environment that reflects the high quality of the teachers and their work. The new school will work really well for the children.”

The building work has been planned to avoid any disruption to the children and most of the work will take place during school holidays. “The children have been involved in every stage of the process and they are really looking forward to see what happens next,” said Ms Godfrey. “Our school continues to go from strength to strength.”