Pupils have placed a time capsule at the site of a new school building in celebration of its unveiling.

West Ham Church of England Primary School in Portway, Stratford, pulled plastic sheeting and removed scaffolding from its new build almost one year after construction began in September 2016.

After eight months quizzing constuction workers about the eagerly awaited new classrooms during school assemblies, pupils finally toured the site just before the end of term, with a school spokeswoman saying the children concluded the tour by burying a time capsule for future generations.

“The children were fascinated with the whole process and thought long and hard about what they wanted to say to the children who will be in their place in years from now and what the world will be like,” she said. “The building has given us the scope for some wonderful projects and discoveries.”

Before construction began, the site was subjected to an archaeological dig which unearthed buttons and clay pipes now on display at the British Museum in Bloomsbury, London.

Following their discovery at the primary school, the historic items were analysed at a special event in which parents, pupils and other guests were invited to view the discoveries, sparking historical intrigue among pupils and staff who vowed to make their own historic contribution in the school grounds.

The time capsule buried at the Stratford site is filled with contributions from pupils and staff alike.

Ahead of the burial, pupils were tasked with thinking how best to communicate with future generations, which involved discussing what the future will be like in Newham and what kind of society people who dig up the capsule will be living in.

The building’s unveiling was highly anticipated, as pupils were given snapshots of each stage of the site’s development through talks from project managers and builders as well as receiving regular updates from the school’s newsletter.

These updates culminated in a final assembly when the building was unveiled and pupils were invited to take part in a question and answer session on the final stages of the construction.