Staff and pupils at a St Albans school are getting used to new surroundings following major refurbishment aimed at expanding the size of the premises.

The new maths and science block at Sandringham School was officially opened by Dr Kevin Fong, a leading space medicine expert.

Incorporating 12 extra-sized classrooms, an IT suite and 3 super-sized science laboratories, the building was funded by Herts county council and should enable up to 30 additional pupils to be accommodated per year.

The £3.5m project also features various offices, a seminar room, a network support room and a large open space on each floor.

Cutting the ribbon to the new block completed an exciting few days for the school, which became the first in the UK to speak to British astronaut Major Tim Peake from the International Space Station on Friday, January 8.

Sandringham headmaster, Alan Gray, said: “The new maths and science building provides a massive state of the art learning environment for young people at Sandringham and is a significant addition to the school campus.

“We were delighted that Dr Kevin Fong could find time to be with us and formally open this special building. He was really impressed with the facilities and felt these would help inspire young people into STEM subjects.

“This is a landmark building that provides world-class facilities for young people.”