A school has won funding to turn an area of woodland into a nature trail and outdoor teaching space.

Broom Barns Community Primary School in Stevenage successfully applied to the Herts Garden Trust Awards for School Grounds for backing, and has now received a cheque for £800 to see an unused woodland area transformed.

Staff members, along with help from volunteers and employees at pharamaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, have already begun clearing the area, which has had seating installed and a wooded path made from tree chippings.

Once complete, the space will also be used for lessons.

Christopher Melluish from The Herts Garden Trust, who visited the school in Homestead Moat to present the cheque, said: “I am very impressed with the school’s plans to improve its outside space. It’s one of the best schools I’ve ever seen.”

Head boy Elliot Haig said: “It will be exciting for the children to see the growth of the trees and get excited about nature.”