HEADTEACHERS in Wickford have spoken of their delight at a £6.5million grant to improve facilities in their schools.

Eleven primary schools and one special school in the town have been given the cash by Essex County Council’s Pathfinder scheme to pay for a series of different projects.

Work has already started at many of the schools.

A new extension has just been completed at Abacus Primary School, in Tresco Way, Wickford.

Mood lighting, a sound system, an outdoor amphitheatre, whiteboards and projectors and a colourful sail, shading parts of the school, were all paid for using the money.

Plans for the extension were already in place when the funding was announced, but the school used its £150,000 share of the Pathfinder money to improve its facilities even more.

Headteacher Gillian Brinded, said: “The project is all about giving children confidence and skills, so they can become successful in later life.

“The collaborative learning centre will be an important part of that.

“It will be a really good chance for children from different schools to work together and make use of computers, a studio and all sorts of new technology.”

An African zone outside with sculptures of animals was created at Grange Primary School, which received around £190,000 for the project.

The school chose the African theme as it has close ties with Logre School in Ghana.

Headteacher Lynn Corduroy said: “It’s been hard work in the planning, but it will hopefully provide huge amounts of learning and enjoyment for our children. We’re hoping to start using it in early February.

“A lot of the pupils are excited about it.”

Plans are also advanced for a £3.5million “collaborative learning centre” paid for with the cash, to share between the 11 schools and Castledon Special School.

The centre is expected to be finished at the end of the year.