A LOOK at one of the area's local schools.

SCHOOL MESSAGE: Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principals of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and Diocesan level. The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith, and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to all its pupils.

HISTORY LESSON: Our present school building was opened in 1874 although there had been a school in the village before this time. Bolton-by-Bowland village itself has an even longer history with the church having been at its centre since the 15th Century. From first view on the outside the building won't have changed much over the years. Inside of course is a different story. There have been many extensions and alterations but everything done has taken into account the original structure of the building, so our school hall still has a vaulted ceiling - although other ceilings have had to be lowered to improve the heating.

NUMBER OF PUPILS: Our school can accommodate up to 50 children in our two classrooms. At present there are 22 infant children and 26 juniors. We also have a pre-school programme of induction. This begins as early as two-and-a-half years when they join our playgroup for one afternoon, building up to our three and four-year-olds who have regular morning and afternoon sessions in our school. Although our numbers are small we can boast results in national tests which take us well above national average in all subjects. We are proud of these achievements and of our "school" in general.

WHERE DO THE CHILDREN COME FROM? Most of our children have always come from the farming community in and around Bolton-by-Bowland. Although we are an Anglican Church Aided Primary School, we always try to accommodate children from all backgrounds.

WHAT WE OFFER: Visitors to our school almost always comment on the warm welcome they receive and the friendly atmosphere. They find the children polite and well behaved. Being in a rural location with children from the countryside, we feel that our children are still exactly that - children. Their outdoor play isn't usually based on what they've seen on TV or video games, but imaginative and active. The curriculum is broad based and allows children to develop both academically and socially. We operate an open-door policy where parents can come in freely and are encouraged to help in many ways and are actively involved in many aspects of school life.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH £100,000 WINDFALL? We are very fortunate to have always had a farsighted governing body who have tried to anticipate our financial needs and also the type of parents whose fundraising efforts are exceptional. For this reason we could afford to look towards something quite exceptional that would normally be beyond our consideration, like a fully equipped outdoor play park with climbing frames, tyres, slides etcatmosphere. They find the children polite and well behaved. Being in a rural location with children from the countryside, we feel that our children are still exactly that - children. Their outdoor play isn't usually based on what they've seen on TV or video games, but imaginative and active. The curriculum is broad based and allows children to develop both academically and socially. We operate an open-door policy where parents can come in freely and are encouraged to help in many ways and are actively involved in many aspects of school life.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH £100,000 WINDFALL? We are very fortunate to have always had a farsighted governing body who have tried to anticipate our financial needs and also the type of parents whose fundraising efforts are exceptional. For this reason we could afford to look towards something quite exceptional that would normally be beyond our consideration, like a fully equipped outdoor play park with climbing frames, tyres, slides etc.