PUPILS will be able to conduct their own fun courtesy of a donated double decker bus.

Cash-strapped Colne Community School and College was forced to think outside the box when it needed a new common room.

So executive principal Nardeep Sharma contacted Hedingham buses' engineering boss Jeff Coward for help.

The bus Hedingham donated has been driven to the school's grounds where it will be permanently parked up.

It is open for pupils aged 11 and 12 who are in year seven to sit in at break and lunch times.

Mr Sharma said: “We are using the bus as a social space because the Building Schools for the Future programme was pulled by the coalition Government.

“We have leaking roofs and we have got nowhere for the children to go.

“They will be supervised on the bus, there are going to be CCTV cameras and prefects on duty.

“There is no social space for the children at the moment. The number of students at The Colne is due to increase in the future. We are hoping to expand our fleet of buses to four to five - one for each year group – in the future.”

Mr Sharma said Hedingham had “come up trumps again” for the school.

It previously stepped in to ensure new students had discounted bus travel.

Essex County Council, which was funding the free transport, decided to axe the service for pupils travelling further than their nearest school.

The low-floor double decker Volvo bus (582) started its life in London and joined the Hedingham fleet last year.

At 16 years-old, it has been retired from service and was delivered to the school for free.

Mr Coward said: “We like to support communities which we are part of, and we were delighted to be in a position to help The Colne Community School and College. This has been an interesting project, which will bring benefits to the school for a long time to come.”