YOUNG LEARNERS at the Piddle Valley First School are working closer together thanks to a new foundation base.

Children at the pre-school and the school’s reception class are now able to interact and share resources.

Bishop of Sherborne Dr Graham Kings and Lord Lieutenant of Dorset Valerie Pitt-Rivers were among the guests at an official opening of the foundation base at the Piddletrenthide school.

Headteacher Melanie Cridland said: “The new foundation base is where the pre-school and reception work together for some of the time during the day.

“It’s a safe and secure place to be as the reception children usually come from the pre-school so they know the staff and it also helps the children build a relationship with the reception teacher before they move up.

“It also involves the sharing of the learning environment and resources and staff can plan together to ensure consistency of use of the curriculum across all ages.”

After building work in the summer, the classrooms were redesigned so a space for pre-school and reception classes to come together could be provided.

The pre-school, which had previously been run as a separate charity, was also taken under the governance of the school.

After an attempt to hold the opening before Christmas was delayed due to the weather, the school finally cut the ribbon to declare the new unit up and running.

Ms Cridland said: “It all went very well, we had Bishop Graham from Sherborne and the Lord Lieutenant came and it was a very successful day.

“I am very proud of the way the children interacted with the adults and I’m also very proud of the staff who have put in a lot of work in preparing for the day.”

She added: “It was great, we had the cutting of the ribbon which was done by our youngest child and the cutting of the cake was done by one of the oldest children.

“There was a nice wide selection of people who came in to celebrate with us.”