They and about 30 staff at the Ethel Tipple special school in Winston Churchill Drive, Fairstead, are gallantly continuing their daily routine despite all the noise and distractions of building work on a new school taking place around them.

The youngsters lost the use of a hard play area, sports field and a garden they created when builders from Swaffham-based Mansell Construction moved onto the site on October 1 to start work on the first phase of the new West Norfolk Complex Needs School.

Headteacher Gordon Wilkinson said: "That's the builders' site now and we don't go anywhere near it. We are using what little space is left.

"We have lost all our play area and that is more significant to complex needs children than ordinary children because they don't understand what's going on properly.

"It's also a distraction because we get all the noise from the building site. They have to do all the work during school hours and while we are on site.

"I know the outcome will be fantastic and I don't want to detract from that, but we are going through the pain at the moment. The children get anxious then the staff and everything gets a little fractious."

He said the Year Ten and 11 pupils would be doing their exams this year amid the continuing work on the site, "and we need to make sure they get a good bite of the cherry".

Phase one of the work includes construction of a sports activity hall with a hydrotherapy pool, a dining hall, a sensory garden, a sixth form common room, art, IT and staff rooms, various administration offices and the new main entrance.

Originally, it was scheduled for completion by September this year. But Mr Wilkinson said there had been "a significant delay" because of foundation problems and piling work had to be carried out, which had not been envisaged originally.

"They are not really telling us when it will be complete now – it could be Christmas time or early next year," he said.

"Once we move into phase one they will demolish the existing school, remove six mobiles on the site and build phase two. This will include the nursery and primary wing with several classrooms, a smaller hall, technology, music and drama rooms, and a library."

The head is hoping the demolition work will be carried out during the school summer holiday because of the noise and distraction otherwise.

He said the second phase was originally expected to take a year to complete but it could be longer as further piling work seemed inevitable.

"The original plan was for the two schools, Ethel Tipple and Alderman Jackson, to amalgamate in the new complex needs school in September 2009 – but it's likely to be later now," he said.

The new school will have space for 151 children, aged from two to 19.