SOUTH Tawton Primary School is now to get a desperately needed new school hall as part of a £1.42-million investment in the school. The school has secured the money from Devon County Council's Capital Strategy fund as part of the Capital Build programme. It will be used to replace four outdated classroom buildings with one new purpose-built classroom block. It will have three classrooms, each with separate cloakrooms and toilets, and additional learning space, and the new hall. The build was originally to be made up of four new classrooms, but with the current school hall far too small and not fit for purpose, the school governors and architects NPS have worked together to create the new plans for the school's new block. Many activities that currently take place in the Victory Hall, such as school plays and rehearsals, will now be able to take place on the school site in the new hall. The current hall is to be modified to be used as a classroom — which was the room's original purpose. The buildings being demolished are four huts that stand in the school playground. Originally built to be temporary classrooms, they have stood on the site since 1962, and are no longer fit for purpose. The project will provide a modern, single-storey building that aesthetically matches those surrounding it so it meets both Dartmoor National Park and conservation area parameters. Headteacher Heather Poustie said she was 'delighted' with the decision to incorporate the desperately needed hall into the new block. 'It's absolutely wonderful. It will mean everything can be on site. We have lots and lots of clubs after school. If it's wet, we don't have the space to continue with them. Now we'll just be able to carry on with netball and other different skills clubs which we will be able to accommodate inside. 'The current school hall hasn't been fit for purpose for a long time. We've used the village hall. I can't fit everyone in there for assemblies. We'll be able to get the whole school into the new hall. 'We'll be able to put on all our plays and productions. Importantly we'll be able to have our rehearsals at any time during the day. At the moment we need to have them in the afternoon, but we will be able to use this hall as and when we need to. 'The new design also has lots of space for our PE equipment, so it'll be lovely that all the gymnastic equipment and wall bars will be here, things we don't have in the village hall at the moment. 'It's going to mean lots of things for us. I think we haven't even realised how good it will be.' Originally the work was due to begin this summer, and during the winter and spring terms, the classes currently being taught in the rooms due to be demolished were due to move into temporary accommodation, before moving into the new build. Now the building work will begin on the three classrooms in January. Once the work on the classrooms is completed, the current buildings will be demolished, the classes will move into the new block and work on the hall will begin. Mrs Poustie said: 'Because it means we're not going to be moving twice out of classrooms, it's going to be far less disruptive and we should have got through the wettest months, which would delay the build. So it's worked out very well for us. 'We have no final dates on when the build will be complete, but it'd be great if it were complete ready for the new academic year.' Mrs Poustie expressed the school's thanks to the school governors and NPS, who have worked hard to create the new plans for the school hall.