Pupils returning to school were excited to find a new decking area in their playground.

The youngsters at Trottiscliffe Church of England Primary School in School Lane, West Malling, had left for the summer holidays without an outdoor decking space to play on after the existing panels had deteriorated over the years and become unsafe.

Due to budget constraints, the school had been unable to replace it so activities such as circle time discussions or mini performances had to be done inside.

But, over the school holidays a team of local businesses and outdoor living experts created new decking ready to use for outdoor learning at the start of the new term.

It was gifted to the school just in time for the new term.

Head teacher Lucy Henderson said: “We were so disappointed when our deck space became unsafe for the students to use as it plays a big part in our school activities.

“But when one of my colleagues mentioned it to their partner at Alsford, we were stunned to be offered a replacement deck free of charge.

“We’re very grateful to all those involved for helping us to ensure we can still provide this valuable outdoor learning space to our school community.”

Installation company Fairweather said: “We’re delighted to be able to support this meaningful project at one of our local schools.

“Any opportunity to get kids experiencing the outdoors and learning as they do is something I wholeheartedly believe in, and with Trex composite decking the lifespan of this outside space is just massive compared with that old wooden decking.”

All the materials were donated by Trex, Arbor Forest Products and Alsford Timber with complimentary installation provided by FairDeck.