The school was one of 10 winners in the South East Dream Playgrounds competition run by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

It will enable the school to provide a series of safe climbing opportunities such as tree houses.

The national competition received more than 1,000 nominations across the country with 145 primary schools in the South East region trying for a share of the £200,000 prize fund.

Nominees for the awards were asked to provide a compelling case for why their primary school deserved to win and what changes they would make to their outdoor spaces.

While Somers Park Primary School has a strong sense of community spirit, it has suffered problems with anti social behaviour and poor emotional literacy, which, it was felt, improved outdoor activity areas could help to address.

Head teacher Jan Fleming said: 'We were genuinely surprised and delighted when we were announced as the winners. This will make such a difference to our pupils.'

Sally Maw, from NatWest's Southsea Branch, said: 'The quality of a school's grounds are important to pupils and teachers as they can help towards raising attainment and behaviour as well as concentration.'