An Ipswich primary school is "delighted" to have received a £750,000 government grant that has allowed them to create a state-of-the-art nursery.

The Beeches Community Primary School, formerly known as Whitton Community Primary School, received the cash from the Department for Education to allow it to build its new facilities.

East Anglian Daily Times: The after-school club kitchen and break area in the nurseryThe after-school club kitchen and break area in the nursery (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

The Shakespeare Road school has said the upgrade will allow it to take in more students and become an asset that has a "massive impact" on its community.

Teachers at the school have seen their new workspace after the project was finished, with a grand opening planned for September.

Three years ago, Beeches Community Primary was one of hundreds of schools that applied to the school nurseries capital fund.

East Anglian Daily Times: A Department for Education grant funded the projectA Department for Education grant funded the project (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

The Ipswich school was one of the 60 selected for the grant, which has allowed it to expand its nursery capacity by an additional 30 pupils.

The-Beeches-Primary-school-opens-in-Ipswich

Work on the project was completed by Pentagon Play and Gipping Construction.

Headteacher Stephen Capper revealed the grant for the new facilities was one of only two awarded to schools in Suffolk.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Beeches Community Primary School has received government cash for its new nurseryThe Beeches Community Primary School has received government cash for its new nursery (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

He said: "We're delighted with this. What we had before was a very old nursery with no investment in it for years.

"We were really happy to put a bid into the Department for Education and were awarded £750,000.

"There were only two projects in Suffolk — this was one of them and one of the largest grants in the country, so we're really pleased with that.

East Anglian Daily Times: The nursery will be able to accommodate 30 extra pupilsThe nursery will be able to accommodate 30 extra pupils (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

"We have redeveloped these facilities to expand the number of children we can take in, the age range of children and the fantastic external play area, which is a learning zone.

"It's inside and outside, we have wrap around care and we have a fully-equipped kitchen, so all the facilities you would expect to deal with children who are very, very young.

East Anglian Daily Times: Headteacher Stephen Capper said he was delighted to see the work completedHeadteacher Stephen Capper said he was delighted to see the work completed (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

"It's going to have a massive impact on this community, so we're just delighted."