WORK is under way to extend a popular primary school to meet rising demand.

Three new classrooms, a food technology room, a studio and learning resources room will be ready for use by pupils at Highcliffe St Mark’s in September.

The £1.5 million extension, being built by Poole-based Stepnell, will allow the school to accommodate three classes in all year groups.

Facilities will also include toilets and storage areas and the work will also incorporate a new canopy to the school’s main entrance, improvements to staff car parking and landscaping.

“We are all very excited about the new developments to improve the site and the new building project which will be a real asset to the school” said Karen Boynton, head teacher of Highcliffe St Mark Primary.

“Stepnell has worked really closely with us to minimise the disruption and inconvenience the building work will cause both to our school community and our neighbours. The children are fascinated by the building project, especially some of the diggers, cranes and power tools. We are therefore taking advantage of having builders on site to provide some valuable learning experiences for the children. We are looking forward to moving into the new classrooms ready for September 2016.”

Stepnell is working with Dorset County Council to deliver the project which is due for completion in August this year. The new 700m2 extension will be linked to the two-storey early years building and will be traditional in design with a steel frame, pitched roofs and a variety of window sizes to make maximum use of natural daylight.

“We are delighted to be working with Dorset County Council and Highcliffe St Mark School on this fantastic new building,” said Stepnell regional director Rob Speirs. “The new extension will not only help alleviate the shortage of school places for children in the Highcliffe area, but will also provide existing pupils and staff with state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities to assist them to gain the best from their education.”

“We have seen a significant rise in the school-age population recently, especially in the east of the county,” added Councillor Deborah Croney, Dorset County Council’s cabinet member for Learning and Skills.

“The county council has a duty to make sure all children in Dorset have access to good quality education in buildings that are fit for purpose and can cope with future demand. The new extension at Highcliffe St Mark’s will provide this in a well-designed and affordable way. I am pleased this project is now underway so we can achieve the best outcome for local families.”

The Highcliffe St Mark building scheme follows recent education projects Stepnell has carried out across Dorset for schools in Portland, Bournemouth and the Blandford area.