A VOLUNTARY aided school in Ulverston is launching a fund-raising campaign to cover the cost of a much-needed £ 80,000 extension.

Church Walk Primary School is planning to build a room for pupils with special needs and a new head teacher's office.

At the moment the 15 per cent of pupils at the school with special needs have nowhere to study and are often forced to work in the corridor.

Head teacher Janet Benson also has to share a room with her secretary and needs somewhere she can talk privately to school visitors and parents.

Mrs Benson said: "The pupils with learning disabilities get easily distracted in the classroom so they need somewhere quiet to work.

We let them work in the corridor but then they are distracted by people going to the toilet or moving to other classrooms.

It is quite important that we create a nice quiet space at the back of the school for them to work."

The extension is to cost £80,000 and the school has already secured 90 per cent of the funding from the Department for Education Skills, DFES.

But as the 96-pupil school is voluntary aided it must raise the remaining £8,000.

Governors and Friends of Church Walk Primary School are launching the fund-raising campaign on Friday, November 15, by staging a grand auction when numerous items will go under the hammer.

It is being held in the parish centre on Church Walk at 7pm and admission is 50p.