BRIGHT yellow polka-dot walls, the school's name in glowing neon lights, and a towering chimney painted to look like a pencil: boring, this place is not.

And that's only the entrance - stride just a little further into Church Cowley St James CE Primary School in Oxford, and you will soon find a huge dinosaur in the playground.

The creature arrived while pupils were studying dinosaurs, but was so adored that he has become part of the family.

Headteacher Steve Dew happily likened his school (also known as CCSJ) to an 'educational Disneyland', and said he and his team were proud to be a bit different.

He said: "Situated in bright, vibrant, Cowley we are proud of our church and motor industry heritage, cultural mix and the diverse ethnicity of the school.

"It really makes it a brilliant place to work and learn."

The 468-pupil school in Bartholomew Road teaches children from 42 countries, speaking 47 languages.

It upholds four core values of moral courage, tolerance, respect and compassion.

A pupil's day might include the Rubik's cube club, a Mandarin lesson or an exciting excursion, which have included trips to a snow dome, indoor skydiving centre and water park.

They can find quiet in the library, which is painted like a cow - another of the school's decorative quirks - and staffed by librarian Miss Lubac.

But it’s not all play, no work, and the school is also proud of its academic achievements.

Mr Dew said: “We had some excellent Year 6 results last year, which are a testament to the hard work staff put in.

“We are expecting the same again to complete our year, after our super positive Ofsted result from May.”

The head said the school’s parent teacher association fundraises ‘tirelessly’ to boost opportunities for the children, and he thanked parents for their vital support.

In October the 170-year-old school is set to open its state-of-the-art Wilderness Nursery.

Mr Dew said: “We are very excited to be able to open our doors to more children in the community to come and learn the CCSJ way.”

This year the children have designed, built and managed a sizeable on-site allotment, where they grow more than 30 different types of salad leaves and vegetables to contribute to school dinners.

Pupils grow heritage varieties such as purple carrots, and even hybrid fruits in the 'scientist garden' such as cucumbers that look like tiny watermelons.

The school site itself also has an interesting history.

CCSJ's sports teams are called the Church Cowley Tiger Moths, because its sports pitch was once home to the Morris Motors factory in which Tiger Moth planes were built during the Second World War.

Before that a Jurassic riverbed ran through the site.

The riverbed rocks were excavated during building of the multi-use games area, and some are now used outside as shelters and seats.