IT was only 8.30am when we visited St Luke’s Primary School but it was already a hub of activity.

Smiling children were making their way to their classrooms and parents and other volunteers were seated in the corridors, listening to youngsters reading.

The school is heavily over-subscribed and it’s easy to see why.

It has a happy, yet business-like atmosphere and is adorned with colourful displays of the children’s work.

Applicants are prioritised with siblings at the top of the list, followed by those with links to the church.

In the third category – proximity to the school – there were 75 applications this year with just nine places available.

St Luke’s is situated on two sites with infants in Maxwell Road and juniors in Bemister Road. It has two forms of entry and a total of 420 students.

“We have all the facilities of a large school with the benefits of being on two smaller sites” said headteacher Mark Saxby, who has been at the helm for five years.

The school has just become part of a local collaborative trust with other primary schools in Bournemouth.

It has joined forces with St Katharine’s, Kings Park, Bethany and St Clement’s, Heathlands, the Stourfield Infant Academy and Stourfield Junior.

“We will share best practice and I think we can all learn from each other” said Mr Saxby. “We will challenge and support each other but each school will retain its individuality.”

Staff will visit different schools within the trust and occasionally pupils will travel between sites for special events.

Infants and juniors spend most of their time apart but staff do their best to get them together when possible.

Children recently took part in a sponsored walk when older pupils walked to the infant site to collect the little ones before taking part in the fundraising event together.

And this week the children are taking part in their much-anticipated arts week where year groups mix to take part in a variety of activities.

“There will be a big exhibition at the end of the week for the parents” said Mr Saxby.

“The pupils are off timetable for the week and it is something we all look forward to.”