Pupils and parents tucked in at the launch of a new dining room as part of a £2.5million school extension.

Parkroyal Community School, Lyon Street, Macclesfield won £2.5m of government funding for new buildings because it’s oversubscribed and has not had enough space. This includes a new dining hall and kitchen which have no opened. Staff invited families to a launch to visit the facilities and taste the food.

The school has taken on its own catering, so employs staff to do the cooking and the children play a part in designing the menus.

Caron Corden, headteacher, said it gives an opportunity to choose local produce and teach the children about where food comes from.

She said: “We do everything ourselves now so any money we get for meals goes back into getting high quality produce.

“It feels more like a bistro and it’s great to be able to involve the children in planning the meals.

“The benefits of bringing the catering in-house include giving us more control over menu and suppliers and ensuring all aspects of food and nutrition in school promote the health and wellbeing of the school community.”