STAFF and children at a Tavistock school are celebrating after a huge £100,000 windfall enabled them to buy an adjoining house and land.

St Rumon?s Infants, on Dolvin Road, is one of more than 100 schools in Devon to benefit from the county council?s £51-million school building programme.

The school paid £120,000 for the two-storey house, which has a 125-ft garden running down to the river. They used their generous grant topped up by money from their own resources.

Headteacher Mags Long said the purchase of 12 Dolvin Road, was the fulfilment of a dream.

?I still can?t quite believe it,? she said. ?It?s really the stuff of dreams, and it hasn?t sunk in yet.

?When I came here 15 years ago I actually remember writing down that Utopia would be the acquisition of either property next door to the school.

?It?s wonderful for everyone involved with the school. It?s a dream come true for me personally because it will enable a lot of growth and it will enhance the learning opportunities for the children.?

She said the inside of the Victorian house would be used for staff rooms, admin offices and kitchens, which would free up many areas of the main school building.

?By moving certain staff facilities into the new house we will be able to have a brand new permanent classroom in the main building,? she said.

?With six classrooms instead of five, we will be able to reduce class sizes from 30 to 25, which will significantly benefit the pupils? learning.?

County Cllr and school governor Roy Connelly, said he was delighted with the funding for the new property.

?The county council was pleased to release funding to enable one of our most successful schools to extend its excellent practice,? he said.

Chairman of the governors Preb John Rawlings said: ?We are all delighted with the extra space this provides and the new opportunities it affords for developing our work at St Rumon?s even further.?

Mrs Long said possible plans for the garden included a purpose-built play area and a sensory garden and wildlife area to enrich the children?s education.

The house used to be owned by mental health charity Mencap and was a Mary Budding special needs unit with links to the school.

More than 40,000 school children across Devon will benefit from the school building programme ? the biggest building programme in the county?s history.