AN ANDOVER school has undergone a  £400,000 transformation resulting in bigger classrooms. 

Pupils at Roman Way Primary School can now enjoy more space to learn and play, thanks to the investment by Hampshire County Council.

The works were launched to enlarge and enclose six classrooms, which previously were too small, awkwardly shaped, and unseparated from each other.  

Cllr Steve Forster, the county council’s cabinet member for education, recently joined staff and pupils at a special assembly to celebrate the completion of the works.

READ MORE: First Class: Andover pupils smile on first days at school

He said: “We do a great deal of work to make sure that our schools in Hampshire continue to be of a good quality and enable children to get the very best out of their learning. We’ve made significant changes to the layout at Roman Way so that children and staff can now benefit from much larger rooms with far less noise disruption between classes.

"We know that the design of teaching spaces can significantly impact not only pupils’ learning but also their wellbeing and motivation, and it’s clear to see from the improvements at Roman Way that this has most definitely been the case.  

“Thank you to the headteacher Ms Jones, her governors, school staff and of course all the children at the school for their support and patience throughout the works; and finally to all the county council staff involved in the design, planning and delivery of this important project.” 

The works at Roman Way Primary School fall under the county council’s school suitability investment programme, which is intended to improve school facilities, modernise teaching spaces to allow the curriculum to be delivered more effectively, provide environmental improvements to ventilation and acoustics, and other related improvements to fixtures, fittings, and decorations.

SEE ALSO: Andover Christmas Lights 2023: All you need to know

Sarah Jones, headteacher of Roman Way Primary School, said: “The new rooms are a ray of sunshine, so bright and airy. They have impacted both teaching and learning in a positive way; we have double the amount of display boards for all our different subjects so our learning environment has developed.

"On every level it’s been a really positive transformation of our classrooms. A huge thank you to Hampshire County Council for enabling this to happen - the difference to our children and our staff has been palpable.”  

The funding for the school suitability investment programme was approved in January 2023 as part of the county council’s 2023-2026 capital programme for children’s services, which outlines a major programme of investment totalling £221m across both mainstream and special schools, early years settings, and in children’s social care.