AN oversubscribed school has applied for £800,000 of funding to bring its facilities up to scratch.

Buttsbury Junior School in Norsey View Drive, Billericay, wants to build a dedicated special needs facility and an extra classroom for Year 6 pupils.

Some children are being taught in temporary classrooms which are as much as 20 years old.

They have to walk across the car park and through the main school building, if they need the toilet during lessons.

Buttsbury has applied for two separate £400,000 grants and is expected to find out if its bids have been successful at the end of this month.

The special educational needs study room will take priority if only one lot of funding is released by the Department for Education. Staff have applied to the department for both lots.

The new fully equipped facility would enable pupils with learning difficulties to be taught a tailored curriculum away from the main classroom. Headteacher Ann Robinson said: “The temporary building we have at the moment is not a very pleasant environment for children to learn in and is quite frankly not fit for purpose.

“These are children that need a positive space and by being part of the main building they will not feel so isolated.

“If we had a beautiful new special needs building, it would really show the value and importance of the facility.

“Our children are absolutely brilliant and we would also use the space for group work, gifted and talent sessions and other groups and activities. We are oversubscribed, which is brilliant, but it means we don’t have enough space.

“The building itself is a bit tired, but these are the projects which are a priority for us.”

Buttsbury Junior School has 492 pupils across Years 3 to 6.

As well as securing funding for the extension, the school would also need planning permission from Basildon Council Extra car park spaces are also included in the proposals, which will be decided on by the end of next month.