STAFF at Whitefield Infant School hauled boxes full of text books and toys in yesterday’s sweltering heat in anticipation of their big move to a new site.

The Victorian building in Norfolk Street, Nelson, erected in 1904, was thought to be too small for the popular school and a state-of-the-art building in Every Street is now ready for pupils to attend when the new term starts in September.

Yesterday, headteacher Ethna Cummins said: “We have some really wonderful memories of this school and we are sad to leave it behind.

“But the school is just not big enough for us and so we are looking forward to getting into our new site.

“We were very lucky in that teachers were included in all of the planning stages and we had input into the design of the new school so we know it is exactly what we need.”

The school has made use of a block of temporary classrooms for the last 20 years and an additional storey was put on top of them four years ago in a further attempt to give the school more space.

Mrs Cummins, who has been headteacher for 31 years, said: “The temporary classrooms will now finally be taken down and Lomeshaye Junior School will expand into our premises.”

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson has been a school governor for six years and Mrs Cummins said he had ‘fought hard’ to support the school and get them their new premises.

Mr Stephenson, who visited the school yesterday, said: “It’s not been an easy process and there have been challenges along the way but it’s a brilliant school that desperately needs the extra space.

“I am pleased that this outstanding school will now have an outstanding building to continue its great work in.”

Acting headteacher Erica Mason, who has worked at the school for 10 years, said the young students had been impressed with the new building.

“They’ve been involved in everything and we’ve taken them to the site to see how it has been progressing.

“They built and designed their own schools in class and we all came down to watch the first bit of drilling.

“It’s nice that they have been involved with everything and the new building looks so fantastic that it really excites them.”