APPLICATIONS have started to come in for the School Build Challenge, with schools competing to win part of a £6,000 makeover.

The Dorset Echo has teamed up with construction company Leadbitter to offer schools the chance to win an outdoor project to the value of £3,000, £2,000 or £1,000.

The company will use the money to help improve the outdoor facilities at the winning schools and ideas for the makeover include sensory gardens, play areas and wildlife trails.

The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester has submitted their dream plans of what they would do with the prize money if they won.

Head teacher Peter Farrington said that his school had lots of ideas to improve the school grounds.

Their ideas include completing the construction of a full size replica Anderson Shelter for the World War Two garden, the installation of an outdoor interactive music area, widening the variety of things grown in the school’s allotments and creating an outdoor cooking area to teach children about healthy eating.

He said: “For many years we have recognised the importance of the outside environment as a place where children should be learning.

“We are very much into getting children aware of healthy diets and the best way to do that is to get them to cook their own food.

“We have a whole range of ideas for improvements, none of which on their own would take a huge amount of money. Getting one of the awards would go a significant way to helping us finish the different projects.”

Mr Farrington added that some grant application processes for improvements could take a while.

He said: “What attracted me to the Echo and Leadbitter project was that it seemed a relatively straight forward application process and it seemed to welcome our ideas for the school, rather than being led by somebody else’s ideas.

“If we were fortunate enough to win that would be superb.

“We would be able to achieve all of the things we want to because on their own we are not talking about huge items of expenditure. We are talking about lots of little things.

“The benefit to the children would be that children of all ages would be accessing something through the makeover.”

The application process closes on Friday June 10. The competition is open to all primary, infant and junior schools in the Dorset Echo area.

Those wanting to be in with a chance to win should pick up a copy of the Dorset Echo and fill in the application form.

You also need to tell us in no more than 200 words about your project, what it would involve and why you need it.