SATELLITE classrooms have opened at two Poole schools to accommodate pupils with additional needs.

Canford Heath Junior School and Old Town Infant School and Nursery have opened their doors to pupils from Winchelsea in a bid to alleviate pressure on spaces at the Guernsey Road special school.

The pupils - 12 in each school - are on the Winchelsea school roll and have their own classrooms at the other two schools.

But they are also sharing time with pupils at Canford Heath and Old Town, even wearing similar uniforms.

Kate Carter, CEO and executive head of the TEACH Trust, which runs Canford Heath Junior, said the initiative is already proving to be a success.

She told the Daily Echo: "The government released a small amount of funding to try to help alleviate the problems of not having enough spaces in special schools.

"There were a lot of children waiting to get in to Winchelsea who had nowhere to go so schools in Poole were asked if they had space and whether they were able to help out."

A number of schools registered an interest and two were selected.

Kate added: "They are Winchelsea classrooms but they are in our buildings. The children have their own sensory room, chill-out zone and outdoor learning area but are also on our timetable for subjects such as ICT and music."

She said staff have been impressed by how quickly the pupils have integrated and said: "It is lovely to see them all together at play times. It is good for the Winchelsea pupils and also for the mainstream pupils."