TURKEY was back on the menu at West Kirby Grammar School as staff and students celebrated its refurbishment after pre-Christmas floods.

They were joined by contractors and members of the community who helped in the repair operation, for a special festive lunch.

A burst storage tank flooded classrooms, corridors and offices just before the festive break, causing up to £400,000 of damage and making sections of the school unusable.

Wirral Globe:

Mayor of Wirral, Cllr Les Rowlands, re-opens school's dining room after the pre-Christmas flood

Thousands of gallons of water gushed through the school, flooding its canteen, dining room, computer room and nine classrooms, including six science labs.

Ceilings were destroyed and water cascaded down stairwells when the storage tanks, feeding the school’s heating systems, burst.

Parts of the school were closed for safety reasons and special events such as the school’s Christmas lunch were postponed.

Mayor of Wirral, Cllr Les Rowlands, who officially re-opened the dining room and refurbished classrooms said: "Let's make no bones about it …it was quite a big disaster.

"Everyone in the community pulled together from contractors, teachers, parents and students and it was a great to have the repairs done in such a short time; and also take the opportunity to make improvements to computer systems and other areas of the school.

"This is a true example of turning disaster into a success."

Teaching staff and community volunteers joined an emergency team of contractors to get the school fully operational in record-breaking time. The school’s sixth form computer facilities and study areas were also upgraded and re-decorated.

Wirral Globe:

Sixth formers join Mayor Les Rowlands and headteacher Alison Duffy at the official re-opening of the school’s sixth form centre

Headteacher Alison Duffy said she remembered the morning of the flood and arriving to a scene of "devastation".

“Thankfully the fire alarm went off and those early warning systems worked and the rest of the school was saved.

“The recovery team did a wonderful job from the initial mopping up and clean up works to installing new flooring, lighting, heating and IT systems.

"Without the community approach to this project we wouldn’t be where we are today.

"All the damaged areas have been repaired or reconstructed and we have a lovely refurbished school".