A new $2 million learning facility at Cromwell Primary School is galvanising its pupils and teachers, says the school's principal.
The Ministry of Education-led capital works project was first announced in 2017 and the upgrade took seven months to complete.
The facility, which includes a block of four new classrooms and a learning hub, was officially opened this week when the pupils returned to school.
Principal Wendy Brooks has observed the excitement among the school pupils for the state-of-the-art facility.
"They've been in a very old area of the school for three years that clearly needed remodelling." .
"The children just seem so much more settled. They're using the spaces as we imagined they would. It's been amazing, the transformation that has happened."
The buzz among pupils has rubbed off on teachers, as well. Staff members were feeling very privileged with the new space, Ms Brooks said.
"The teachers feel like they're in heaven."
Design ideas had been sought from several schools in Christchurch which had been rebuilt following the Canterbury quakes.
Ms Brooks said the new section allowed the children to be educated in a modern setting.
"It's designed to allow 21st-century learning to happen, all under the one roof," she said.
"It's a fully digital environment."
The school opted for a "flexible" design. The interior space could be configured in nine different ways, Ms Brooks said.
"We figured the more flexible the spaces are, the better the design is to deliver the outcomes we want for our children."
Although the ongoing pay dispute saga between the ministry and primary schools around the country had kept tensions high, Ms Brooks acknowledged Cromwell Primary School felt very fortunate, as the ministry-funded upgrade was now benefiting the children.
"We understand the ministry is under pressure. But we would just like to think that every child in New Zealand would have the opportunity to work in an environment which is designed to support learning that we want for our children."
