THESE children are set to be the envy of all their schoolmates.

Until the end of the summer term, 30 four and five-year-old children at Oxford’s St Ebbe’s Primary School will be based in a yurt for all their lessons.

The school is moving from a 45 pupil intake each year to 60, and the children will be taught in the tent while their existing classroom is upgraded.

It is thought to be the only school using such a structure to deal with growing pupil numbers and building work.

Headteacher Susie Bagnall said: “We were keen they had a temporary classroom with the ‘wow’ factor so it was regarded as an advantage rather than a disadvantage having to move out of their class.

“The teachers have organised the curriculum around it and they will be having a lesson from one of the teaching assistants who has actually worked in a yurt in Mongolia. I just hope they want to go back into the classroom when it’s finished.”

Provided by Wantage company Dragon Hill yurts, the tent arrived at the school in Whitehouse Road on Thursday last week. It has a proper floor and opens directly on to the path so youngsters will not have to step on wet grass to get in.

Mrs Bagnall said: “If the weather is absolutely dreadful, we will be able to use the other foundation stage classroom for overspill. But we hope it will be a wonderful opportunity.

“It will be their special home because they are the ones being disrupted.”

Pupil Isaac Band, four, said: “I’ve been to see it and it seems like it’s bigger than it is, even though it’s not as big as our classroom.”

Isla Scott, five, said: “We’ve been told not to go in until it’s finished, but I’m excited.”

As well as upgrading the foundation stage classroom, the school’s existing ICT suite is being converted into a classroom. Two new classrooms, an extension to the hall and the staff room will also be built as part of the £500,000 project.

They will located on part of the playground, but the amount of play space will stay the same as the school’s current car park will be converted to a play area, with disabled parking and delivery and emergency access kept.

The cost of renting the yurt will be roughly £2,000 for the term.

The refurbishment work will be paid for by the Diocese of Oxford, with the rest funded by Oxfordshire County Council.

The aim is for the entire development, which will cater for the school growing from 300 pupils to a maximum of 420, to be completed by Christmas.

St Ebbe’s had already agreed to take 60 reception pupils in 2012 as a temporary measure.

Hundreds of extra primary school places and new classes are being created across Oxfordshire to deal with a spike in pupil numbers.