DAVID Sibun, the headteacher of the new Nursteed Community Primary School in Devizes, knows he has no excuse for not getting good results.

Mr Sibun and his team of three teachers and two teaching assistants, are in an advantageous position compared with many primary schools in Wiltshire whose staff use out-dated text books and teach in old buildings.

Nursteed Community Primary School opened last week. It cost £1.5million, the majority of which was paid by housing developers Persimmon Homes and Bloor Homes. Wiltshire County Council has also contributed £150,000.

Mr Sibun, who was previously head teacher at Lyneham Junior School, said: "It's a lovely, purpose-built school. Everything is new and all the equipment, such as computers and books, are up-to-date.

"There is no excuse not to have high standards in the school because we have everything we need.

"The challenge for us is to create a school that matches the standards of the building."

Sixty pupils, ranging in age from four to 11, started on the first day of term last Wednesday.

The school uniform has the emblem of the Roundway White Horse on it.

Mr Sibun said: "We thought the white horse was something to identify with the area of the school. We are hoping to take the children up to the white horse at the end of the month."

Mr Sibun plans to set up a school council where children from each class can contribute ideas to the running of the school.

Eventually the school will cater for 210 children, predominantly from the new housing development off Brickley Lane.

Parent Chris Bassett, of Stockwell Road, whose four-year-old son Aaron is in the reception class, said the school was ideal for her.

"My daughter went to the Southbroom schools and if the new school was not here then Aaron would have gone there too," she said. "There is nothing wrong with Southbroom School but the new school is much closer to our home and is very much within walking distance.

"Aaron loves it and is very excited about going there."

The school staff are no strangers to Devizes. The deputy head is Lynwen Iliffe, who has moved from the town's St Peter's Primary School where she was deputy head for the past five years.

She said: "I really loved it at St Peter's, it was a wonderful school. But to start a school from scratch was a wonderful challenge not many teachers get that opportunity."

Teaching assistant Amanda Young has returned to her roots. She was born in Devizes but spent much of her adult life in the Midlands.

She said: "I wanted to move back here. A few months ago I was walking with my mother and we saw this school being built and I said it would be nice to work there. I feel so lucky to be working here."