The sound of hammers hitting nails is a welcome racket at Mount Maunganui Intermediate, as 10 new classrooms are built on school grounds as part of an estimated $2.7 million project.

Mount Intermediate School principal Lisa Morresey says the Ministry of Education is building four classrooms to cater for a roll increase, four to replace leaky buildings and two to replace old prefabs, which are to be rationalised.

Mount Maunganui Intermediate class leaders MJ Tuwairua, 12, Ella Rutten, 11, Max Haswell, 12, and Jina Choi, 11, outside the building site. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Lisa says 10 brand new modcoms, or rented classrooms, are on the school field to house pupils during construction.

A new toilet block is also being built at the school, as part of the project.

'We hope it will all be finished in May, 2016,” says Lisa.

The Ministry of Education has allocated 1000m2 for the 10 classrooms.

'The toilet space is included in that figure. We have worked with the Ministry to create the largest single cell spaces that we can, with spaces opening up to the outdoors.”

The project was designed by Auckland company Chow Hill Architects and is being built by Bay of Plenty company Shawn Williamson Builders.

'We are excited by the new building,” says Lisa.

'We have been working on this for a long time. We just hope our roll growth doesn't exceed the number of classroom spaces available.”