A VILLAGE school with just a handful of children on its roll, is to become a centre of excellence.

The three-class primary school at West Tanfield, between Ripon and Bedale, will become home to a new computer suite next year.

And the new IT centre will not only be available to the 40 pupils at St Nicholas Primary School, but also be used for further education and business training for the whole community.

A £15,000 grant from Yorventure, one from the National Lottery, and money from the school will cover the cost of what will be known as the West Tanfield Community Technology Centre when it opens after Easter.

A dozen computers will be provided through a partnership with Learn Direct, all available to adults after school hours.

The new building will include an Early Years Unit, offering nursery education to three and four-year-olds in the area and creating space for after-school care and holiday clubs.

The scheme was the brainchild of the governors, who have used school capital to pay for the construction of the centre.

The New Opportunities Lottery Fund grant will be used to equip the Early Learning Unit and buy a projector and an interactive white board.

Yorventure's £15,000 will pay for a secure storage area for the equipment, as well as for the unit's furnishings and decorations.

The organisation is backed by Northallerton waste management company, Yorwaste, which manages a landfill site at West Tanfield.

The IT centre has been welcomed by headteacher Julia Bailey, who joined the school a year ago.

She said: "The new building will make the school a real focal point for the community.

"My aim is to create an IT suite to rival those at upper schools, for use by our pupils by day and for further education in the evenings, as well as by local businesses for training purposes.

"There is no nursery provision locally so the new Early Years Unit, which will be run privately in affiliation with the school, will be a real boon for parents."