IT was all aboard for youngsters at Lawn Primary School after they unveiled a new double decker bus for play time.

Pupils can now enjoy lunchtimes and break times in the former Thamesdown Transport bus, which was bought by the school for £1,000 from a collector and transformed into a play area over the last six months.

Decked out with carpets, tables and seats and also repainted with a mural inspired by the students’ own ideas, the bus was officially unveiled yesterday to the delight of the children.

Headteacher Chris Davis said: “The pupils could not wait to get in.

“The idea came from wanting to make break times and lunchtimes more enjoyable with more things to do and it just went from there and we saw that another school in London had done a similar thing.

“With the bus there was the chance to create an indoor space outdoors and so we approached Thamesdown Transport. We managed to purchase one for £1,000.

“The Parent Teacher Association was supporting this project from the outset and there were fundraising efforts to help cover the cost.

“Once we had planning permission and checked with the neighbours about where best to put it, we set about doing it up and we ran several competitions in school to get the children’s ideas.

“We had four proposals from each of the house groups and also had them design the paint job.

“It’s got a chill-out space on the top deck and tables and chairs on the bottom so it is really encouraging social interaction.”

Chris said a host of local businesses helped to make the project become a reality, including Intel and Thamesdown Transport.

He said: “We have to thank Intel and Thamesdown and everyone else for their help as we would never have been able to do it without them. It looks brilliant and the mural itself is fantastic – it takes in aspects of the ten favourite designs.”

Paul Jenkins, managing director of Thamesdown Transport, said: “ It's very nice to know that this old bus will have a new lease of life and be enjoyed by the children."