FLAGSHIP classrooms to show the shape of things to come at a Worcester school have been officially blessed and opened.

Two new classrooms, complete with interactive whiteboards, have shown pupils at Blessed Edward Oldcorne RC High School what is in store for them if it achieves specialist status.

The school is now only £5,000 away from its £50,000 target to submit its bid to become the first specialist mathematics and information technology school in the county.

Two new classrooms for humanities and three refurbished ICT (information and communication technology) rooms were formally blessed by The Very Reverend Canon Kevin Dunn at the ceremony on Friday.

"When you bless a building we're saying it is going to be used in a very special way," he said.

"We come closer to each other, we discover what it means to be fully human and we discover that at the base of all that we are is the spirit of the living God."

The ceremony was led by Worcester City Councillor Ian Imray, who is chairman of governors at the Timberdine Avenue school.

Also present were former headteacher John Ley, who officially opened the block, and the Mayor of Worcester, Coun Robert Rowden.

The new classrooms have curved walls and have been built on to the side of the current humanities and ICT block.

"The rounded shape is quite pleasant," said Sue Rees, head of humanities.

"It creates a feeling of space.

"The whiteboards are very useful, they open up other opportunities and we can use other resources, such as the internet and photos. They look better and the children like it.

"We found before we were being interrupted but it is quieter here."

Visitors at the blessing ceremony were given a tour of the new rooms and watched pupils using the new equipment in a Year 8 geography lesson.

"It's a lot better than before," said Mark Smith, aged 13.

"We've got the square rooms and they're quite crammed but in here there's a lot of room for other things. I like the design."