Youngsters at a Loughton primary school now have a quiet place to read after they opened a literacy shed.

Pupils at Thomas Willingale School were given the shed, free of charge by construction firm McLaughlin and Harvey.

The new building will be used by children as a place to read at break times, for classes to sit and read with their teachers and for drama lessons.

McLaughlin and Harvey, which is building the new Epping Forest Shopping Park in Langston Road, also invited Year 5 classes at the school to visit the construction site.

Wearing high-vis jackets and hard hats, the children were given folders, a calculator and measuring tapes. They also had a workbook to complete after each site visit.

Year 5 teacher Aileen Holland said: "The children have loved visiting the site, having the opportunity to see and record each stage of the development.

"We think they now have a totally different picture about what goes on at a building site."

"As a lasting tribute of the time McLaughlin and Harvey have worked with us we are most grateful for the very kind donation of the literacy shed.

“This very generous donation will be used by the pupils as a place to read at break times, by classes to sit and read with their teachers and for groups to explore drama lessons.

"Children for years to come will have the benefit of something we had planned for a while but wouldn’t have been able to afford.”

"Our children have remained excited and keen throughout the whole experience and will all be sorry to finish.

"It really has been a fantastic opportunity for everybody involved."