Children at a Lake District school are ready to play and learn outside thanks to a revamped playground and outdoor learning area.

Bassenthwaite School has revamped its early years outdoor space thanks to a £14,000 in grants and fundraising.

Children can now enjoy messy play with a soil dig pit and mud kitchen, a creative play table, and mounted panels for large-scale outdoor painting.

A new play house encourages role play activities, while a storytelling throne surrounded by mini toadstool seats enable the children to expand their imaginations.

A water tower and outdoor musical instruments are also among the additions.

The area has been resurfaced with artificial grass.

The improvements are intended to help pupils explore, investigate, experiment, work together and think imaginatively.

They are expected to help children's communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, fine motor skills and understanding of the world.

Sara Royle, headteacher, is delighted with the new playground.

She said: "All areas of the early years curriculum will be enriched and enhanced with the new provision.

"The excitement on the children’s faces while using the area is a joy to see and the learning that has been taking place is phenomenal.

"The older children are eagerly awaiting the warmer weather when water can be added to the water tower. They have made me promise that they can have their opportunity to use it for some work on forces.

"I have to admit that I have been found on a few occasions during playtime playing the fantastic outdoor musical instruments."

A £10,000 National Lottery grant funded much of the work.

A further £3,000 came from the Lake District National Park's communities fund, with £500 from Bassenthwaite Rotary Club and £500 raised by the Friends of Bassenthwaite School.

Rotarians helped removed the old surfacing ready for the work to be done.

Rebecca Lyle, early years teacher, coordinated and organised the project.

She said: "I applied for the lottery funding on a whim, not expecting to actually receive anything. I was over the moon when we received the funding.

"I was also overwhelmed by the amount of community support we received to facilitate our project. The children love it. The family school ethos ensures the whole school are benefiting from it as the older ones love to go in during playtimes and mentor the younger ones."