It’s been nearly six months since St Thomas’ primary school students and teachers moved into their new school premises. Having had time to settle in, our reporter Jess Ward visited both schools on the Scoill Vallajeelt site to find out how everyone is getting on with the co-location.

The children love it here and there is a real family feeling between both schools.

I’m told this by many while being guided through St Thomas’s very own entrance way into a central hub, which the students have dubbed ’The Dome’ due to its rounded shape.

Claire Manser, head teacher of the island’s only Church of England primary school, proudly displayed her school’s new premises at Scoill Vallajeelt in Meadow Crescent, Douglas.

The walls are neatly covered in pupils’ colourful work, books are stacked in shelves and child-sized couches in The Dome lend themselves as comfortable places to learn.

These new premises are quite the contrast to the previous school building on Finch Road, Douglas, where damp was no stranger to the 1875 site that had limited space for resources and play.

Due to these conditions, a co-location was announced last year. The schools would operate separately with some shared areas.

Moving schools was ’kind of scary but also exciting’, for Chloe Corkill, aged eight.

’Now I feel it’s really nice. It feels like a community environment and the building is nice and fresh inside unlike the old one which was cold and damp,’ she said.

Jen Mordue, nine, gets the bus from the old school to the new one. She joins early arrivals from both schools at the breakfast club in the main hall - shared by all.

’When I first came I was excited to see what our school looked like,’ she said. ’I already went to clubs with Vallajeelt students, such as swimming and some girl groups and so I knew some people and wasn’t starting out on a plain slate. I had friends.’

Jane Gerrard, an education support officer at the school, said: ’I love this new school. It’s a lovely environment which is bright and spacious.

’There are a lot of other pluses, like being able to use the car park. Before we were parking between the church and the school, which the church kindly let us do.’

She explained that it was difficult to access your car, as the area was very narrow.

Cheryl Alford, the teacher in charge (deputy), said: ’We have happy children, happy parents and because they are happy they are learning. They’re excited to come into school.’

Laura O’Grady, who teachers years four, five and six, said she is relieved to no longer be walking between the main building and her old classroom - a temporary container.

’I would step through puddles when it was raining. Not having to do that is good,’ she said. ’The communication is a lot better between staff because we’re in the same area.’

Not only is the indoor space much appreciated by teachers and students alike, but the outdoor space is highly regarded too.

A rota is used where each year group from both schools have a go on the ’adventure playground’.

Before, the St Thomas’ kids had a concrete block on top of a shop to play on and would have sessions at the NSC.

Mrs Manser added: ’When we did PE in the sports hall for the first time here the kids were giddy!’

The bond between her and Scoill Vallajeelt’s head teacher, Denise Lyon, is professional and it’s clear they enjoy each other’s company.

Miss Lyon said: ’It’s brilliant. It’s like we’ve got new neighbours. We just get on well.

’We did a lot of work before they came on-site to make sure procedures were in place. We keep our separate behaviour policies, but have "respect" posters on how we show each other respect on campus.’

Vallajeelt students have certainly worked hard to make the new students feel welcome.

Head girl Laylah Radcliffe, 10, shared how she helped a St Thomas’s student when they first arrived, as they didn’t know where to get out. ’I showed them the way,’ she said.

She added that having more students ’is great because there are more people to play with’.

Bethany Alderidge, 11, said: ’It’s pretty nice having the St Thomas students and feels exactly the same. It’s just like having a new person in your class. You carry on with your day.’

Head boy Jacob Turner, 10, said: ’At playtimes it’s great to interact and make new friends. This is good because next year we’re going to secondary school where we will need to make new friends. The St Thomas’ students are helping us to get ready for this, as it’s been a long time since we had to make new friends.’

He added: ’Before you could fit people in quite easily so it’s good that we’re making use of the school.’