One of the leading figures in the fight against Covid-19 was the guest of honour at the official opening of a £2.7m new building at an Oxfordshire primary school.

Sir Andrew John Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, cut the ribbon to formally open the Rainbow Building at John Blandy Primary School in Southmoor near Abingdon earlier this month.

The building, which houses six large classrooms and other teaching facilities, has been constructed to allow the school to grow to take 45 pupils a year.

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The expansion is necessary because of an increase in demand for places from families who have moved into major new housing estates on the edge of the village.

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The Rainbow Building was completed by constructor Keir in December 2020, but was not used until March this year because of lockdown.

The name was chosen by pupils because of its brightly-coloured windows and because it was built during the pandemic, when the rainbow was a symbol of hope for many.

Sir Andrew, who was one of the chief investigators on the Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine trials, spoke to pupils in an online assembly delivered to all children in their classrooms, before taking part in a question-and-answer session with some year sixes and school councillors.

Suzanne Elliott, co-headteacher at John Blandy, said: “We wanted the building to be opened by someone special and Sir Andrew has played a key part in creating hope for many during the pandemic.

“We are delighted that Sir Andrew was able to accept our invitation because he is such a significant figure in a momentous period in our history.”

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Co-headteacher Sarah Thompson added: “We are so proud of our new building.

“Seeing its progress during lockdown gave us a feeling that better things were ahead during difficult times.

“Sir Andrew’s work has helped us all along the path to better times and so we regarded him as the perfect person to mark the opening of the Rainbow Building.”

John Blandy Primary School is part of Faringdon Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust made up of six good or outstanding-rated primary schools and a secondary school.

Prof Sir Andrew Pollard is head of The Oxford Vaccine Group.

Last month it emerged that a third shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine could be an effective booster jab without the need for tweaks. An Oxford University study found that giving people a third dose more than six months after their second led to a substantial rise in antibodies and increased the body’s T-cell ability to fight coronavirus.