STAFF and pupils at St Barnabas Primary School in Market Lavington are looking forward to a busy and exciting summer term.

Since new head teacher Jill Hibbs arrived in January, the Friends of St Barnabas School have been reformed and are now champing at the bit to raise cash for new facilities at the 95-pupil primary in Drove Lane.

Mrs Hibbs said: “The Friends have not really been proactive in recent years so it was decided to relaunch it and we now have 15 members, which is fantastic for a school this size “The current Friends are dedicated to raising money to brighten up the playground.”

One of the facilities being taken on by the Friends is an outdoor classroom which will allow the pupils to do their learn amidst the tranquility of the Wiltshire countryside.

“We are in such a lovely area and there is so much in our environment to inspire the children to learn.”

The Friends’ first big fundraising event will be the school fete on July 14, the first time for some years that the school has mounted one. There will be much to attract local people as well as entertain the children themselves.

Before that there will be a lot going on for the pupils. The Key Stage 2 classes will be heading off to Marwell Zoo next term, and there are also plans afoot to celebrate the London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The school will hold its own street party for the jubilee and they have been invited to take part in a day of Olympic sport at the nearby Lavington School, the secondary school that most of their pupils will move on to.