WEST Malvern residents will have the chance to view a major refurbishment of the village school next week.

Staff and pupils at St James CE Primary School are holding an open afternoon on Wednesday, November 10, when the whole village is invited to come and see the changes that have been made.

Between 1.30pm and 4pm, the school will be open for everyone to see the results of the project, which was backed by a £70,000 fundraising effort by parents and friends.

The project included the creation of two new classrooms with a rooftop playground, freeing up space in the existing building for a school hall and a kitchen.

Among the fundraising efforts was the sale of Hillsongs, a CD of music including Elgar and Bach, as well as new recordings made in and around the hills. A 2011 calendar of local views is also on sale.

Head Karel Surrell said: "When the children came in after the work was finished and saw what head been done, they were just amazed. The staff love it as well.

"It's been a fantastic effort by everyone concerned, and we now want everyone to see what we've done as a result of all that hard work."

She said the new facilities have transformed the school, and were already being used by community groups including a yoga group and karate classes.