SCHOOLCHILDREN in Cirencester were given a hard hat tour of the building site that is soon to be transformed into their new state-of-the-art school building.

Members Watermoor Primary School’s student council joined builders on the site at Kingshill on Wednesday, February 26 just days before the first bricks are laid.

The Cirencester school, which is currently located in Watermoor Road, is set to relocate to the new site in 2015 and will expand to accommodate more than 200 pupils.

Head teacher Jo Pearce told the Standard that the children had been looking forward to getting out and seeing the diggers in action.

“They’ve been really excited to get out here and have a look at the new site. At our school we make the curriculum very real. I wanted them to see for themselves that the work was starting,” she said.

The new single storey school, which is being built close to Kingshill secondary school and the new skatepark, will include an early years nursery as well as a multipurpose hall that can be used by people in the local community.

Outside the school there will be hard and soft play areas, a multi use games facility and a car park.

Cirencester’s deputy mayor Cllr Mark Harris, who was present at the tour, said it was important that the town council supported local schools.

Cirencester Town Council has been quite instrumental in making this happen. What with all the other things being built here, Kingshill is set to become a central hub for the town’s leisure activities,” he said.

The school’s expansion has been necessary following two housing developments being built on the eastern side of Cirencester, which are expected to generate 140 additional primary school children by 2016.

Cllr Deryck Nash, lead member for estate services at CTC, said it was “brilliant” that the new school will integrate facilities that can be used by the whole community.

“It really is great to see it all coming together and, of course, it’s great to see the children here having a good time,” he said.

It is hoped that pupils will move into the new building at Kingshill in February of next year.

For more information, visit www.watermoorps.co.uk.