A PRIMARY school in Rowley Regis has become one of the first to provide a dedicated science and cookery room.

The £215,000 extension at Highfields Primary School will enable it to fully meet the science and cookery requirements of the new National Curriculum in September.

Headteacher Helen Heap said: “It is a wonderful facility to further enhance our creative curriculum.

“It is already in use and parents as well as children have already benefitted - for example in one of our Saturday science workshops.”

It was designed by private firm HLP – and even features Great British Bake Off style ovens – with funding from the school’s budget.

The room is being called the Discovery Den after a pupil competition to name the room was won by Liam Whitehouse, from year six.

Mrs Heap said the building work went smoothly, apart from the uncovering of a Second World War underground air raid shelter, which had to be filled with concrete and sealed to enable the foundations to be built.

The official opening of the room this week co-incides with Highfields being awarded the Silver Primary Science Quality Award.