A SPECIAL needs school celebrated 31 years of tradition and culture with a fun day for pupils and their families.

Rectory Paddock School, Main Road, Orpington, will close on August 31 before reopening on September 1 as the Riverside School.

The new school will be an amalgamation of the old school with another special needs school - Woodbrook School, Hayne Road, Beckenham.

From September 1, the new Riverside School will exist on the old sites while a new building is built at Rectory Paddock School which will accommodate around 160 pupils from September next year.

Rectory Paddock eadteacher Dr Viv Hinchcliffe, who has been at the school since it opened, said: "The fun day was a great occasion shared by pupils, families and staff.

"It was a great tribute to the 31 years of special needs education at Rectory Paddock School."