Children at a north Norfolk school are now being taught in a new state-of-the-art classroom, which cost about £70,000.

Eastern Daily Press: New cabin opens at Overstrand school. Opening of Palm House by Helen Nudd, school secretary. Pictures: supplied by Hayley BreezeNew cabin opens at Overstrand school. Opening of Palm House by Helen Nudd, school secretary. Pictures: supplied by Hayley Breeze (Image: Archant)

The cabin at the Belfry primary school in Overstrand, near Cromer, which has been called Palm House, took 18 months to build and was officially opened by school secretary Helen Nudd.

She said: "We have been thinking about having this outside space/ classroom for about four years. It will be a multi-purpose centre with a kitchen and toilets. It can be used for teaching. for interventions and as office space. It cost about £70,000 and took 18 months to build."

Headteacher Titus Cotton said: "For the last three years I have been teaching year two maths in the school hall, but we keep getting interrupted by PE lessons, assemblies and snack time.

"It has been fun but it has not been ideal. It's hard to concentrate on division when another class are throwing and catching beanbags over the top of you.

Eastern Daily Press: New cabin , Palm House opens at Overstrand school. Pictures: supplied by Hayley BreezeNew cabin , Palm House opens at Overstrand school. Pictures: supplied by Hayley Breeze (Image: Archant)

"And in the afternoons we have so many support sessions for children taking place that we have been stacked in the lobbies and corridors - it's been like Piccadilly Circus at time.

"We realised that if we wanted to give the children the learning they deserved that a new classroom would be ideal, and so we began to add a new classroom to our expanding school."

It was paid for from the school's savings and with help from the Diocese of Norwich.

Mr Cotton added: "It has only been possible with the oversight and hard work of our governors, especially our chairman of governors, Steve Robinson.

"Over Easter the day finally arrived when we had a crane hoist our new classroom over the school and placed it down at the back. This sort of event takes an enormous amount of organisation and paperwork and we are hugely grateful to our school secretary, Mrs Nudd.

"All our classes in school are named after trees (holly, larch, willow, ash, and oak) and as the new class was delivered over Easter we felt that, as a church school, we should name it the Palm House. "