A new chapter has begun in Bordon as pupils have gone back to a new-look school following a £100,000 upgrade.

The word on the street is that bestselling environmental author Ellie Jackson recently opened the renovated library at Woodlea Primary School.

A new cloakroom was created and facilities around the Grade II listed school were refreshed during the nine-month revamp.

A classroom and outdoor area was also renovated while 60 new iPads have been provided by the University of Chichester Academy Trust.

The library has a nature, animal and environment theme while the renovated cloakroom features a new historical timeline mural that charts British history from the Romans to current day.

Ellie treated each class to a special reading after cutting the ribbon to the new-look library, which boasts more than 2,000 new books and a bespoke mural featuring quotes from stories picked by children and staff.

Children learned about the challenges faced by animals in Ellie’s books and felt a sense of wonder and responsibility for the natural world during the sessions.

This year is shaping up to be an exciting one with new headteacher Abigail Oliver arriving in 2024 and Woodlea joining the Trust in spring, with further improvements like a new sensory area in the pipeline.

“I’m delighted our new library is such a hit with pupils and I’m sure this will encourage their love of reading,” said the headteacher.

“The new library and facilities mark a new chapter for the school. It’s fitting for Woodlea that our new library is themed around nature and the outdoors, and I look forward to seeing our children there in the new school term.”

She added: “Together with our new curriculum, these developments represent huge improvements at Woodlea which will help give every pupil here the education they deserve.”