EVERYONE feels better when the sun is shining. But for a group of Worcester schoolchildren and their teachers, yesterday's glorious weather was just an added bonus to what must have proved to be a truly momentous experience.

We hope that Monday, June 5, 2006 will resonate down the years ahead as the day when a new beginning was forged in the form of the Fairfield Community Primary School. As pupils and staff filed into the new, state-of-the-art buildings there was an understandable feeling of optimism among all concerned.

The new school has every right to look forward to becoming a centre of excellence. Readers will recall that the former Elbury Mount was indeed a troubled institution, but the Worcester News is more than happy to join with those who are happy to consign the past to history.

For this is a time of fresh starts. A new era is indeed dawning for Worcester citizens served by Fairfield's catchment area and we see no reason why the future should not bode well for all concerned.

There will be many people, now in middle age, who will remember "the old school". They will perhaps recall, with misty-eyed nostalgia, those days of blackboards, chalk and uncomfortable wooden desks.

Schooling has come a long way since those times. Now, a child will be just as accomplished with new technology as his elders, thanks to the very latest internet access.

We cannot know what lies in store for tomorrow's adults. But we do know that schools such as Fairfield will be equipping them for the job.