The skeleton, believed to date from between the fifth and seventh centuries, was discovered in the school grounds while the Morgan Sindall project team built a new path at Drake Primary School in Thetford

The discovery led to an excavation that revealed a well-preserved skeleton of an adult male who had been buried on a north-south alignment about 1,500 years ago, with an iron knife on his left hip and an iron buckle on his right.

Although the skeleton was excavated by Norfolk County Council’s historic environment team and removed from the school grounds before the children became aware of it, the find has been used in lessons, with pupils meeting an archaeologist to learn all about it.

The skeleton was discovered during the current £4.8m expansion project to refurbish and remodel the school.

Morgan Sindall site manager Phil Hazelwood said: “This is a fascinating discovery that has really made us all think about the people who may have lived here over 1,500 years ago. It’s been wonderful to see how interested the pupils at Drake Primary School have been in the discovery and how our work on site has created an invaluable learning experience for them.”

Image courtesy of Drake Primary School