WEATHERMAN Bob Johnson could not conjure up the sun yesterday, but the forecast is looking brighter for a primary school's pupils.

The Tyne Tees Television forecaster officially re-opened Nevilles Cross Primary School, in Durham City, after extensive building work.

Workmen have been at the school for several months, building a new classroom and carrying out alterations to the building.

All the disruption will prove worthwhile, because the school will be able to reduce the size of some infant classes.

Deputy headteacher Linda Johnston said: "The class sizes will be much smaller from September. What has been done is beautiful, but it has been fairly traumatic time. We have been working while they been taking out walls, and fire alarms have been going off.

"Class sizes will come down from the thirties to the twenties - it is part of new Government regulations - which is obviously good for the kids. Where the infants are now used to be the juniors. We decided to create an infant suite, so the new classroom has been taken over by our reception and infants. Every class bar one has moved. Everybody has pulled together incredibly. There is still some work that needs to be done, but the major works have been completed.''