A ONE-OF-A-KIND 'community-built' classroom has been opened in a South East Cornwall village, thanks to a partnership between two namesake schools and an international connection.

The new classroom at Upton Cross Primary School is a traditional Cornish cob building, roofed with turf and made with local materials including Cornish oak.

Students at the 78-pupil moorland school, together with their friends from Upton Cross Primary School in Newham, London, helped to design and construct the building during the course of a three-year project funded by the Arts Council's Change School scheme.

The two schools have a thriving twinning link set up by their headteachers, Mark Clutsom from Cornwall and Nick Turvey from London.

The pupils helped professionals from Clayworks (formerly Cob in Cornwall) and Cornish oak specialists Carter Hayward build the new cob classroom, mixing materials and getting their hands thoroughly dirty during one of the regular exchange visits between the two schools.

The London pupils returned to Cornwall this week for the official opening of the building.

Also present was headteacher Daniel Hamia and pupils from Uganda, whose school also has a link with Upton Cross and has been involved in the cob classroom project.

'This has been a project which has fostered so many of the links which we work so hard to use to enhance our children's education at Upton Cross,' said Mr Clutsom.

Adam Weismann, co-director at Clayworks, said: 'This was a true community build with contributions from Darren Piper who did a great job with the stonework, Martin Hoare who skilfully mixed every batch of cob with his JCB, and Jack Daniel, a local farmer, who used his tractor to help us lift the turf liner into place.

'The pupils were involved in both the design and construction of the build, using local natural materials.

'Every child in the school also had a hand in laying the cob and applying the natural  clay plasters.

'It was a real pleasure to work at Upton Cross because the local village was so supportive of the project.'