A TORRIDGE primary school which is confident that it will soon be lifted out of special measures has another cause to celebrate, as its library has been given a free makeover.

Bridgerule Church of England School, near Holsworthy, was one of just five across the country to be selected for the first wave of a national scheme to freshen up school buildings, with help from parents, staff and pupils.

The work began last Thursday and children will soon be able to see how their own ideas, including computers and a quiet reading space, work in practice.

Head teacher Matthew Barnes said the project had made a "dark and horrible" library brighter, more efficient, and more stimulating to use.

Mr Barnes was brought in to address issues at the failing school, and said he is "100 per cent confident" that Ofsted will lift it out of the extra monitoring period known as special measures within the next week. Library celebrations are on hold until after the inspection.

He said: "The children are very excited. There's a lot of anticipation about what it will look like. They can't wait to get in there and use it."

Mr Barnes said the British Council for School Environments (BCSE), which is funding the scheme, initially approached him about upgrades to the nearby Bradford Primary School, where he is also head teacher. He had been seeking funding to improve an outdoor space, which will now happen later in the Big School Makeover project. But the BCSE selected Bridgerule for the initial phase.

Ty Goddard, the chief executive of BCSE, said small changes could make a big difference. He said: "Every child in the country deserves the best possible school building – whether it's through a refresh of colour, a major refurbishment or a new build. We want to see young people and teachers up and down the country involved in designing and taking action in their schools."

The makeover project partners, Dulux Trade and team members from the South West office of construction firm Willmott Dixon, worked with the BCSE, pupils and staff on design plans and implementation in the library.

To find out more about how to get involved with the project, visit www.bigschoolmakeover.org.uk