PARENTS and carers joined pupils and staff in planting trees and bulbs outside their village school.

Around 40 parents braved freezing temperatures to help create an outdoor classroom at the official opening of the Forest Schools Woodland Development outside Ouston Primary School, near Chester-le-Street last week.

The school recently took part in the Tesco Bags Of Help scheme and was awarded a second place prize of £10,000 towards creating an outdoor learning area.

Annette Tyrell, school business manager at Ouston Primary School, said: “Since then, we have used the money to clear and develop an unused and overgrown piece of woodland in the school grounds to provide a fantastic outdoor learning environment which compliments the Forest Schools agenda”.