A new 21st century classroom has opened its doors at Golden Sands School in Papamoa.

About 80 students from Year 1 to Year 4 celebrated the opening on Tuesday with cake cutting and sending big purple and golden balloons into the air, but today was business as usual.

Teacher Mandy Batham with five year old students Luke Maisey, Arlen Strange, Fabian Maarhuis and Kaleb Andrew.

Principal Mel Taylor says the opening day was fantastic, and the children were looking forward to their first day using the new facilities.

'Parents were saying we should have made the uniforms out of pyjama fabric because they won't take them off, they have been wearing it days before the opening.”

The new school is being described as a '21st century learning space” according to Mel, where the classroom layout is an open, flexible learning space.

The classrooms will also house state-of-the-art digital technology such as cameras and green screens for the children to learn about interactive media, as well as the usual subjects such as literacy, numeracy and physical education.

'Today we will give them a brief how to use the equipment and how to be cyber safe and away they go.”