A SCHOOL in Accrington has announced a week-long celebration to ensure its 100th birthday is marked in style.

Hyndburn Park Primary School, Accrington, welcomed its first children on August 18, 1906.

And because the Park Road school's special birthday will fall during the summer holidays, teachers and pupils past and present are to celebrate the landmark anniversary slightly early with five days of events ranging from special assemblies to a balloon race on the cards next week.

Headteacher John Bowden said that while the exterior of the building had barely changed over the past century, it was a different story inside.

"The school was originally three schools combined, comprising infants, juniors and secondary pupils and remained so until the 1960s when it became just an infant and junior school with the secondary pupils going to Hollins school now known as Hollins Technology College.

"The exterior of the building has basically stayed the same since it was founded but it has totally changed inside.

"When it opened it would have focused on maths, English and craft work but now we have a much more varied curriculum.

"The cane would have been used to and the classes would have been bigger."

He added that the one benefit the school was enjoying now that it couldn't at the turn of the century was the great advancements in technology.

"If you look at the school now we have modern technology such as interactive whiteboards, new computer suites etc.

"We have been discussing with pupils as part of normal lessons and assemblies the differences at the school as of then and now.

"As for the future, we hope to continue providing highly quality teaching the pupils have got throughout the last century."

This has included the school's 506 pupils looking at log books teachers have compiled over the years.

One dated, October 30, 1908 from head at the time Mable Ackroyd states she is resigning as "the education authority informs me the marriage of female teachers is served with three months notice."

Pupils are also drawing an image of themselves on tiles which will be fired and put on permanent display in the school dining room.

New additions to the school to coincide with its birthday include a recently completed floodlit outdoor games area which will be officially opened on Monday.

The £125,000 facility paid for with lottery money features a state-of-the art chrome surface suitable for a host of sports ranging from basketball to badminton.

The week's celebrations will culminate with a commemorative assembly when each pupil will receive an anniversary mug.