As competition prizes go, this may be one of the most unusual. TES and design and construction company Clearspace Buildings are giving away a whole school building, worth at least #163;80,000.

The winning school will get to pick the design and layout of its modern wooden building, which will then be constructed on its site during the 2013 Easter holiday. This will not be a dull, grey, portable classroom, but a permanent building clad in red cedarwood. It will have room for one large classroom, or a smaller one with an annexe or studio space.

“We’ve been covering education in Britain for more than 100 years and have organised many competitions for teachers, but we’ve never been involved in giving away a school building before,” said Gerard Kelly, TES editor. “Schools can be squeezed for space, especially if they are popular or in areas with rising birth rates. But creating new classrooms can be hard, as schools budgets are tightening, and planning and construction are often expensive.”

The new building is part of Clearspace Buildings’ Evolve programme to create inspirational classroom spaces. The company will arrange all the planning permissions, construction and finishing touches.

To enter, schools should explain in fewer than 300 words why they deserve a new learning space. Reasons could include especially innovative ideas for teaching or a particular challenge faced by the school and its community.

Six finalists will be announced at the end of this term and the winner will be revealed in January. The entry deadline is 20 November and forms can be downloaded from www.tes.co.ukbuilding (see also the advert on page 31).