An amphitheatre and a yellow brick road helped a York primary school scoop a national award for its work on the school grounds.

Pupils of Park Grove School, York, celebrate the opening of the new school gates and the National Construction Industry Award as head teacher Andrew Calverley looks on

Park Grove Primary School, which has been transformed as a result of a huge blaze three years ago, has now been recognised for its work outside the school walls.

It is the only primary school to win a national construction award for 1999 in the Yorkshire and Humber region and one of only ten across the country to be so honoured.

Even before the fire, ideas for the grounds were being developed by head teacher Andrew Calverley along with parents and children.

By the time the children went back to Park Grove last September, several ideas had already been put in place in the grounds - and more are in the pipeline.

So far, a yellow brick road has been laid across the playground on the Lowther Street side of the school; an amphitheatre has been created on the same side and a willow maze has also been planted.

A train, which children will be able to sit in, is due for completion soon, and has been made with the help of mature students at the College of Ripon and York St John. A Millennium tree is due to be planted soon.

On the Park Grove side there are wrought iron gates and an area of bricks which bear the names of people connected with the school. Games have been painted on the playgrounds and murals on the walls. The school has also won the Dulux Community Award 1999 for its ideas.

Sue McGinnis, director of North Yorkshire Construction Curricul-um Centre, which put the school forward for the award, said it had won because so many people had been involved, including construction companies, students, parents, the PTA and local sponsors.

Mr Calverley said the school aimed to carry on working on the grounds for another three to five years.

Certificates were presented at an award ceremony at the school by Ken Parker, acting area manager of the Construction Industry Training Board. They went to the school and to the companies and individuals involved.

The award ceremony was also attended by the City of York's education director, Mike Peters, and education committee chairwoman, Coun Janet Looker.

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