A YORK primary school has been given a massive funding boost to help staff and pupils celebrate 100 years of the school.

Poppleton Road Primary School has successfully bid for £23,000 from the National Lottery heritage fund.

Head teacher Sue Elland said she was delighted with the funding which would make a big difference to the school's celebrations.

It took six months for the school to put together the complicated bid to the National Lottery fund for the money last year.

The bid had to include an outline of all the different projects they wanted to do as part of the celebrations.

Sue was contacted at the end of January and told they had been successful.

She said: "Without this kind of money, the centenary would have been basic, but we can do so much now.

"It has given us so many more opportunities. It is the icing on the cake - it is wonderful."

The money will be used for a number of initiatives linked to the centenary, including an art project that will see seven artists going into the school.

They will work with the children to create ceramics, a mural, a new school logo and a sculpture.

The school will also be working with the National Railway Museum looking at the different trains that have passed the school over the previous 100 years.

A collaboration with the Castle Museum will see a group of children trained to be tour guides who will then take visitors around the school.

Children will also experience what life in the 1900s was like when a Victorian classroom is created and they take part in lessons. The celebrations will be launched with a centenary playground party opened by the Lord Mayor on July 3.

The school would like to hear from any former pupils.

For more information visit the website at www.webstore-ed.net/Poppleton or contact the school on 01904 798789 or email poppyroad@hotmail.com

Updated: 11:49 Wednesday, March 03, 2004