A SCHOOL which closed amid anger and tears is about to begin a new life.

Parents fought a year-long battle, in vain, to keep the doors of 215-pupil Tedder Primary School, Thornaby, open, only for the Government to confirm its closure in 2002 due to surplus places.

Now, the finishing touches are being put to a £2m makeover, converting the building into a one-stop shop offering support for children and parents.

Architects behind the scheme transforming the school into a modern SureStart Children's Centre have handed over the project to the centre manager and her team.

SureStart manager Laura Provett said: "The building is absolutely fabulous and we can't wait for local families to come in and see what a fantastic facility they've got. I don't think they'll believe what we have managed to do with the building."

Simon Crowe, a director of Niven Architects, said that the refurbishment was done in two phases, with the community involved at every stage.

"The ethos of the project has been about involving the staff and parents, who sent representatives to workshops to have an input in the layout of the building, the choice of fittings and even the colour of the carpets.

"The design went through a number of evolutions, but it has been a real community effort.''

Phase one, called High Flyers Children's Centre, was completed last summer to allow Thornaby after-school club and the 70-place Stepping Stones nursery to get off the ground.

The second phase incorporates training rooms and space for community activities, a 26-place crche, community caf, parents' room, clinic rooms and office space for midwives and health visitors, a base for the home visiting team, space for childcare activities and the main office and administration.

From this month, the centre will also be a base for Early Support pre-school education for up to 25 children with complex needs.

The centre boasts a large, fully-equipped kitchen which can produce 300 meals a day for the caf and three other nurseries in the area.