YORK panto legend Berwick Kaler stepped onto a new stage when he cut the ribbon at the opening of a £200,000 school development.

The Theatre Royal dame got a chance to sit in the audience as Scarcroft Primary School’s drama club performed sketches for him and parents who had gathered for the launch of the revamped learning centre.

The £200,000 redevelopment of the premises, which lie in the school playground, had been a dream of Scarcroft’s governing body for more than ten years.

Head teacher Anna Cornhill, who oversaw the project to restore the property, which had been empty and derelict for over 40 years, said: “With ceilings full of dry rot, no modern services and 60 years-worth of peeling paint, the project was no small undertaking.

“A fresh lick of paint, a new toilet block and kitchenette have brought this neglected building back into use. To ensure that it is fit for a 21st-century world, the room boasts a host of technological features, including an electronically controlled drop-down screen, a projector fitted into the ceiling and enough data-cabling to house a multitude of laptops.

“The school will be using the learning centre to house its already established extended schools facilities – a breakfast club at the start of the day and an after-school club facility that offers child care at the end of the day.

“Teachers and pupils will also be making good use of the facility during the daytime, and the ninth children’s centre, soon to be housed at Knavesmire Primary School, will also be running some of its outreach activities in the building. The venue is also ideal for evening classes and community use and will be hired out on a commercial basis during the evenings and at the weekend.”

The school contributed £100,000 – money the Government gave it over the last three years to spend on major refurbishment and re-building – towards the cost of the renovation. The rest of the cash for the centre came from City of York Council’s capital funding. Mrs Cornhill said the work had taken six months to complete, and she was “thrilled” with the result.

Anyone interested in hiring the centre should phone the school on 01904 653569.