A Cheshire school for children with special educational needs has opened a new building.

Rivacre Brook School, near Ellesmere Port, welcomed local MP Samantha Dixon MBE to help celebrate the occasion.

The Chester North and Neston MP was given a guided tour of the school's facilities and enjoyed musical and dance performances by the pupils.

The new building will allow the school to support more than 40 children, with 32 attending the new Rivacre Brook site and a further 10 supported at the school's sister location in Runcorn.

The school, which is part of Keys Group, supports children with special educational needs and social, emotional, and mental health difficulties.

It offers personalised timetables to meet the individual needs of each learner and focuses on small group learning, with classes of no more than four students, each with a teacher and a teaching assistant.

The newly refurbished building includes new classrooms, food technology and music rooms, and large outdoor spaces.

Enhanced play equipment has been installed outside, along with extended parking for staff and visitors.

A special ribbon-cutting event was held to celebrate the completion of the project, with Ms Dixon officially opening the extended facilities.

Ms Dixon said: "It was an absolute pleasure to meet the pupils and staff at Rivacre Brook.

"It’s clear that this is a very special place where children feel comfortable, where they enjoy learning, and where it’s clear there’s real ambition and high expectations of what the children can and will achieve with the right support."

Caroline McPoland, headteacher at Rivacre Brook, said: "It was a pleasure to welcome Samantha to the school.

"The pupils and team very much enjoyed meeting her and were proud to show her and our other guests around the school and its brand new facilities.

"We strive to be a school where children can truly be themselves, where they are understood, and where we can help make a positive difference to their lives.

"They loved meeting Samantha and sharing this first step on our exciting journey with her and our other guests."