PUPILS at a Bournemouth primary school will enjoy lessons on a double-decker bus in a bid to enhance their reading skills.

Kingsleigh primary school is losing its specialist Reading Den in September due to an increase in pupil numbers.

Head teacher Richard Gower said the den is popular with pupils and has contributed to improvements in reading skills at the Hadow Road school.

So staff came up with the novel idea of parking a bus on the playground to be used for quiet reading and reading in small groups with teachers and teaching assistants.

The school has now applied to Bournemouth council for a certificate of lawful use although its planning representative, Wayne Barraball of WB Planning, states in the application: "As there is no operational development or changes of use or buildings or extensions then there is no development in any event.

"You could decide therefore that NO application for a certificate is required and the fee can be returned?"

Mr Gower said the den is currently housed in a spare classroom which will be needed for a class in the new academic year.

He told the Daily Echo: "We hope to have the new Reading Den in place by September because we would like to have a nice place for the children to read.

"They can also talk about the books they have read and it will be a very imaginative place for them. Although a lot of the seats will be taken out we will keep the driver's seat and steering wheel and the children will be able to pretend they are driving a real bus."

Mr Gower said reading results at the school have improved as part of its Love of Reading project and added: "Reading is at the heart of everything we do in the school. I think the children are going to be very excited about it."

As part of the application, Mr Barraball said the school is "on a tight budget" and staff "wish to get the purchase made and the location sorted out by the end of the summer term".

The school is an academy and, along with six other primary schools, is part of the Bournemouth Septenary Trust. It has around 700 pupils who will benefit from the new den.