A ground-breaking ceremony took place to mark the start of the construction of Trowse’s new primary school and nursery. Headteacher, Stuart Odell and Teaching Assistant, Chloe Harcourt from Trowse Primary School, joined pupils on site, alongside representatives from local construction firm R G Carter and the design team NPS, to celebrate the first milestone for this exciting new project.

The development, situated in the village of Trowse, will replace the existing school building, increasing capacity for the school to more than 200 pupils, helping to ease the strain on other schools in the area after recent housing developments as well as catering for children in the catchment as more houses are built locally too. The new school will include a seven-classroom building, a new multi-purpose hall and nursery – a first for the village. There will also be room to expand in the future should demand increase in later years.

Will Bishop, Contracts Manger at R G Carter, said: “This ceremony is a great opportunity for us to mark the start of this development, which will provide two exceptional facilities to serve Norfolk’s ever-growing population. We look forward to delivering this exciting project, which will positively impact the local community for many years to come.”

Stuart Odell, Headteacher of Trowse Primary School said: “Today is a significant moment for us and we are thrilled that work has begun on this much-needed facility for the village. The staff and pupils are very excited, not only about the lovely new building, but about the prospect of having a nursery and room to enjoy a wonderful outside space for encouraging play, outdoor learning and sports activities, and to support our aim to develop a well-rounded curriculum that leads to happy and confident children.”

An exciting addition to the school will be the relocation of the stained-glass window, currently in the existing primary school, to the reception area, for all to enjoy as they enter. This window was installed in 2006 and was designed by pupils in memory of a teacher who worked at the school.

Construction is expected to be completed in Summer 2020.