EXCITED schoolchildren have explored facilities at new schools which have opened in the city.

On the first day of term pupils took to the centrepiece of the new Mayflower Community School in Ham Drive – a wooden ship which reflects Plymouth's maritime heritage and also boasts a climbing frame and slide.

Mayflower, which opened yesterday, is one of three new schools opening their doors in Plymouth this week.

Oakwood Community Primary school in Southway also opened its doors to pupils for the first time yesterday while Shakespeare School in Honicknowle will open tomorrow.

The schools are opening as part of Plymouth City Council's 'continuing investment to inspire young people and regenerate city neighbourhoods'. They collectively amount to a £21million investment.

The new school year which started this week, means brand new buildings for more than 1,000 primary school pupils at the three schools.

All the buildings have been designed to take into account the latest education technology as well as incorporating eco-friendly building standards and community facilities, said the council.

The high-tech Mayflower Community School replaces North Prospect Community and South Trelawny Primary Schools.

The school is built on council land which the two schools had used for sports days, and has facilities including two full-sized, fully drained football pitches, several outdoor play areas and hi-tech IT facilities.

Headteacher Marian Bartlett said: "It has wonderful facilities. The children now have this outdoor space, they had nothing at North Prospect school. It's been done to a Pavilions in the Park theme, to bring the outdoors indoors."

Year 6 pupils Sammy-Jo Swabey, aged 10, who attended North Prospect school, and Jessie Hawker, also 10, who attended South Trelawney, said the new school was better.

Sammy-Jo said: "There was just one corridor with Years 3 to 6 and the bottom had the foundation years. We didn't have grass, we just had a wooden floor and we didn't have monkey bars or anything like that."

Jessie added: "We've got much more space to play. We didn't have anything like it there. There was one playground for all the little ones and nothing for the other years. Now we've got our own play area and there are more people you can play with."

The opening of the three schools marks the end of another chapter in the council's ambitious strategy to replace costly, aging buildings with better facilities and to 'ensure that schools are at the heart of regenerating and inspiring communities'.

Oakwood Primary School caters for former Southway Primary, and Langley Infants and Juniors pupils, and Shakespeare Primary School has former West Park and Chaucer pupils.

Cabinet member for children and young people, Cllr Grant Monahan, said that the investment was 'not simply about bricks and mortar, but creating priceless opportunities to inspire whole communities to learn'.

He said: "This is a tremendous week for learning in Plymouth.

"I would like to pass on particular thanks to the project teams, schools and the contractors who have worked exceptionally hard to make these schools happen.

"We need to say thank you to parents and neighbours who have been very patient and understanding while all this work has been going on. We think, however, that it has been well worth it!"