PUPILS returning to a Darlington school this week enjoyed more than £200,000 of improvements.

The Government money was spent at Heighington CE Primary School on three main projects. During the last year work has been carried out on an extension to the school hall, rewiring and a new classroom.

The new larger hall, which cost £84,000, will be used by the 215 pupils for assemblies, meals and performances.

The old hall was deemed too small to cope with the number of children at the school and the new extension should make it easier for staff and pupils to use it.

The rewiring, throughout the whole school, cost £55,000 and the new classroom cost £80,000.

The work, which has been going on for a year, will be completed by March.

The three projects were carried out simultaneously to ensure there was minimum disruption to the school.

Last year the headteacher of the school, Neil Parker, was presented with a Plato award - the national teaching equivalent of the Oscars.

He was given the Leadership Trust award for school leadership in a primary school. The awards ceremony was screened on BBC1 before Christmas.

Eleanor Lister, cabinet member for education at Darlington Borough Council, said: "Since 1997 we have invested £14 million to build new schools and classrooms and to make improvements to create a better environment for teachers to work for pupils to enjoy learning."

Other work carried out by the council in recent months at schools includes the installation of 14 new boilers, roof repairs at 18 schools and rewiring at 13 schools in the borough.

This means there are no longer any coal-fired boilers at schools in the town, and all outside toilets have also been replaced.

Money has also been spent increasing security at schools, including the erection of new fences and closed circuit television cameras cutting vandalism by around 37 per cent.