A RIBBON cutting ceremony has been carried out to officially open the new sports pitch and classroom at Okehampton Primary School.

The Mayor of Okehampton, Jan Goffey, cut the ribbon to declare the third generation (3G) sports pitch and new classroom open.

The £540,000 project carried out by property design and management consultants, NPS South West and built by Skinner Construction Ltd, was completed in the autumn of 2016.

NPS South West were commissioned by Devon County Council to deliver a priority project to construct a new classroom and additional sports facilities at Okehampton Primary School, which currently has 699 pupils.

The school was growing in population and the accommodation was needed by the end of August 2016 to meet the increase in pupil numbers.

The project delivered a single class extension with toilets and cloakroom space but also a 3G artificial turf pitch — one of the first in a Devon primary school.

The school had a large grassed sports pitch, however, due to the school’s elevated position, and high rainfall, resulted in reduced use of the sports pitch in wet conditions. The new artificial pitch ensures pupils of all ages now have access to an outdoor sports facility all year round, helping the youngsters to keep active.

Hazel Fox, headteacher of Okehampton Primary School, said: ‘The governing body and I are very happy with the outcome of both projects and the professionalism of both NPS and Skinners. We only had very minor issues as we went along and clear communication resolved these very quickly and we were pleasantly surprised that it came in on time — so really just a huge thank you to all concerned.’

‘The sports pitch will, without doubt, have a direct impact on improving the children of Okehampton’s fitness levels and health. It’s a real community project as Okehampton Rugby Club are currently using the school’s new pioneering sports field in the evenings for their training practice, whilst they’re having renovations to their pitches.’

A Devon County Council spokesman said: ‘This project is part of a major programme of investment worth £8-million in school facilities in Okehampton to meet the educational needs of the young people of this growing town.’ Picture by James Bird