A £2.7 million “eco-building” has been opened at a Wimborne school.

Teachers, pupils, and parents saw the ribbon cut on the new Sustainability Education Centre at Queen Elizabeth’s School on Monday.

Headteacher Andy Puttock said the environmentally friendly building would serve as the ultimate teaching aid on green issues for children across the district. “In its final state, it will become a centre of excellence for sustainability education, not just for our students but for the whole East Dorset community, as these subjects move into the new school,” said Mr Puttock.

In the short term, the building will be use for music and art lessons, avoiding the need for temporary classrooms while work continues on redeveloping other parts of the school.

The centre’s frame is made of locally sourced timber with render and part timber cladding. The walls have been insulated with 6,000 recycled newspapers, donated by local people, and straw bales.

Sheep’s wool has been used to insulate the roof, which contains solar panels to generate electricity. Renewable energy technologies have been installed to reduce energy consumption, including automatic lighting systems.

Dorset County Council’s education chief Cllr Toni Coombs said she was pleased that the school’s students had been involved in the design and construction of the building. “Not only is the SEC a great resource for the school and local community, it will also help create new and improved ways of delivering education about sustainability, both at QE and in the feeder schools,” said Mrs Coombs.

“Green” features are also planned for new buildings on the school’s main site, including woodchip-burning boilers, solar power, rain-water recycling, recycled building materials and low energy usage.

Construction of the main building, including the ground floor slabs and structural frame, is due to start in the summer.