A RURAL school is to mark its 40th anniversary with the opening of an extension, giving staff and pupils more space to work.

Cotherstone Primary School, in Teesdale, is to contribute more than £110,000 towards the building work, and is hoping for a vital contribution from Durham County Council to finish the project.

The work is expected to be completed by August and the bulk of the extension will be built during the summer holidays.

The extension will create extra space for staff at the school, which has 93 pupils and five staff, and will provide more room for pupils to hold lessons. At present the school has one staff room and one classroom.

Headteacher Pat Barker said: "We will be celebrating our 40th anniversary next April and it will be very fitting to mark it with the official opening of our extension, which hopefully will be completed later this year.

"It will create much needed space at the school, and as we are such a small school it makes it all the more beneficial and important.

"We are so grateful for the support from local companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline, and the Friends of Cotherstone School, who have been instrumental in helping to raise the funds needed."