Work has started on a new £8 million primary school, set to create an extra 420 school places in a growing village.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, July 29 to celebrate the start of construction of the school in Hethersett.

The school, which will be called Hethersett Woodside Primary and Nursery, will also feature a stand-alone nursery for 56 children as well as a hard play area and equipment for the students.

The development is part of a significant restructuring of schooling in the village, with the county council looking to ensure it is able to cope with planned housing developments in the area.

The changes will see both Woodside Infant School and Hethersett Junior School becoming primary schools, with the former moving into the new building from its current Firs Road site in 2020.

Angela Jermy, head of Woodside Infant School, said: "This is an incredibly exciting time for pupils, parents, staff and all our stakeholders and we are all looking forward to seeing this new school take shape over the next few months.

"We are all confident that by working together we can extend our current outstanding practice to key stage two and ensure that our children get the best possible start for their future development."

National construction company Morgan Sindall is leading the project and visited year three pupils at Woodside Infant School to lead lessons on building safety as well as helping the children complete their own construction project.

Framework manage, John Stedman said: "We look forward to collaborating and working closely with the local community and the wider project team as we deliver the new school and nursery.

"The new school will provide local students with a first-class learning environment from which to begin their academic journey."

The company has been appointed to build the new two-form entry £7m primary school in Great Yarmouth on the current North Denes Primary School site, creating a 420-place school with sports fields and playgrounds.