A PRIMARY school which serves hundreds of pupils with special educational needs has undergone a major extension.

As is the picture at many schools across the borough, demand for places at Millwood Primary School in Radcliffe currently exceeds capacity.

The decision was therefore taken to apply for planning permission to build two new classrooms — adding to the existing 16 — at the site to benefit some of Bury's most vulnerable children, as well as a new outdoor play area.

Millwood School, in School Street, opened in April 2012 to provide education for children aged four to 11 with complex needs and learning difficulties. It currently has 138 pupils.

Construction of the extension began on January 7 this year, with the proposals welcomed by stakeholders and passed by Bury Council's planning committee.

The project was completed within the 26-week timescale and a grand opening ceremony took place this month.

Joanne Hurst, assistant headteacher, said: "In true Millwood style, the ceremony was a joyous occasion where some of the children performed songs from Carmen and the singing and signing choir performed “Celebration”.

"The ceremony included the grand opening of the classrooms with a ribbon cutting and concluded with a tea party for the children of class Whitelow 5 and our special guests."

The build was commissioned by Bury Council, designed by Pick Everard, and a local construction company, HH Smith, were the appointed builders.

An official handover took place on July 9, and was marked with a special opening by former council leader and school governor Rishi Shori.

The Mayor of Bury, Cllr Trevor Holt, was one of the special guests at the event, who presented some of the children with their 'Oscars' as a mark of recognition for their hard work and fabulous achievements throughout the year

Cllr Holt said: "The mayoress and I were very pleased to attend the annual prize giving at Millwood Primary School recently and would like to thank you for the very warm welcome and kind hospitality we received.

"We thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous event. It was inspirational to see the achievements of the pupils and the dedication of the staff, so well done to everyone.

"Thank you for inviting us to join you; we were delighted to be able to do so."