"IT'S a wonderful example of what can be achieved through partnership working."

That was how a York education chief described the £700,000 Rufforth School community hall.

The building, in the village of Rufforth, west of York, is to be used primarily as a sports facility for children at Rufforth Primary School.

But the hall is set to offer much more than that to the village, which has lost its post office, and - as reported in The Press earlier this month - could also lose Rufforth Pre-School.

Mark McDermid, head teacher at Rufforth Primary School, said: "The difference the hall will make to our school will be quite extraordinary.

"The hall meets a lot of needs we had in the school, because previously we did not have an appropriate indoor sports facility.

"We are also proposing that the hall should be open to the community in the evenings, and that it also be used at the weekends. This will obviously depend on demand."

The hall - which contains a badminton court, a common room, a hygiene suite, changing facilities and a kitchenette - could also be used to teach some of the school's lessons.

Mr McDermid said children with special needs, and those who were particularly academically able, could be tutored in the hall.

He said the hall could host after-school drama activities, and extra-curricular activities such as the after-school club, Kidzone.

Patrick Scott, director of children's services for City of York Council, said: "The Rufforth School community hall is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through partnership working.

"The funding provided by Yorventure was the catalyst, but none of it would have happened without the drive and energy of local people and, in particular, the school's governing body.

"The proposal fitted well with the council's policy of putting schools at the heart of their communities, and it was clear from meeting all of the people involved that this would make a real difference and, importantly, be well-used.

"It's a wonderful facility and a very exciting development for the village."

The community hall was funded by City of York Council, Rufforth Primary School, and Yorventure, which provided a £190,000 Landfill Tax Credit Scheme grant.

Yorventure is the organisation which distributes the Landfill Communities Fund, which is paid into by waste management company Yorwaste.

The hall scheme started after a survey, carried out in 2000/01, showed 83 per cent of residents felt there was a need for a multi-purpose community facility.