THE county’s newest primary school has celebrated its first 100 days of teaching the next generation of pupils.

Aureus Primary School in Didcot’s Great Western Park estate welcomed the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Tim Stevenson to cut a ribbon with his ceremonial sword last week.

The event marked the official opening of the school which began accepting students in September.

Mr Stevenson was welcomed by Executive Headteacher Hannah Wilson and joined staff, pupils and family to mark the milestone.

When full, the state-of-the-art school will have a total capacity of 420 pupils.

It is the second primary opened in Great Western Park as the estate continues to expand its facilities for residents.

Pupils practise mindfulness techniques every day with teachers hoping this will ‘provide them with a toolkit for thriving both throughout school and into adulthood.’

Ms Wilson said: “Our vision for Aureus extends beyond the classroom to the culture and ethos which is at the heart of our school’s environment and our first 100 days have been fantastic.

“We believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination to grow, learn and flourish and the feedback we had from our guests has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The headteacher, who also leads the Aureus School which caters for secondary age students, said she was delighted to welcome the visitors to its sibling primary.

Both are members of the multi academy trust GLF Schools which manages 30 schools across five counties in southern England.

There were tours and afternoon tea which allowed guests the chance to take a closer look at the new facilities.

The school, designed and built by Oxfordshire County Council, has class names inspired by meadow flowers.

It features a huge outdoor learning space, with plans for a sensory garden and wildlife area.

The school has followed the lead of the secondary school in enforcing strict rules about food and drink.

Only water is allowed on site and packed lunches are banned, while all meat served is halal.

No homework is set for pupils, with families encouraged to work together on activities instead.

The school shuts early on Fridays to allow pupils to spend time with families.