HIGHAMPTON Primary School is in a race against time to raise a £9,000 contribution to secure grant aid so a vital accommodation project can go ahead.

The school is still £3,000 short of the cash which it has to have pledged by December 21 in order to qualify for match funding from Devon County Council's 'Seed Challenge' Fund.

The total project to create a new classroom, community room and staff and resources room at the 42-pupil school is costing £85,000 and the remainder of the money has come from Government capital grant funding and as a result of staff being prudent with the school budget.

Headteacher Jill Bevis said she was disappointed that Devon County Council had been unable to financially support the new building with capital funds and hence the school had to raise its own money to qualify for cash from another pot of funding.

'The governors and friends of the school have been so generous and together with PTA fundraising we have raised three quarters of the money we need,' she said.

'Having said that we still need a further £3,000 before December 21 but as long as it is pledged we will qualify.'

Mrs Bevis said trying to make the school a really vibrant place was a big task when you had two rooms to house 42 pupils and ten members of staff.

'In order to raise standards we need to have space to carry out the curriculum and at the moment this is difficult although OFSTED described our standards of teaching and learning as very good,' she said.

'But we do not have a staff room, a library, ICT suite or a study room to concentrate on specific year groups or special needs children.

'We are not asking for something which is surplus to requirements — this project is really quite a small one to provide the basic resources.'

If anyone wants to donate or pledge some money towards Highampton Primary School's accommodation project they should call Mrs Bevis on 01409 231339.