A long-awaited new first school in Morpeth to replace the 108-year-old Goosehill site is nearing completion ahead of the start of term.

The £6million development on the former fire-station site at Loansdean , which will open to pupils next month, is a world away from the current set up at Goosehill, which has limited space due to its town centre location.

The new building will provide innovative teaching facilities - including a terrace that can be used for outdoor learning - as well as external play areas and a multi-use games area.

For the first time in its history, the school will have its own playing fields.

Other facilities include a main hall, staff room, offices, kitchen, toilets plus 78 parking spaces, while the new school will also provide a community space, which will be accessible outside of school hours and available to the public for events.

A new school across the road on the County Hall site had been given the go-ahead in March 2017, but was subsequently dropped when the Conservatives formed the new administration after the elections in May that year and abandoned the planned move of the council headquarters to Ashington.

However, the previous design was transferred to the new site, saving 'many months of re-work', and the council approved £6.85million for the project in November 2017, targeting this September for completion.

When the funding was agreed, the total 25-year maintenance backlog for the Goosehill site was around £1.7million, with the value of works needing to be carried out in the next five years estimated to be £420,000.

The authority's strategic planning committee unanimously approved the new school in June last year, before BAM Construction was appointed to build it and work started on the site last August.