A teacher heard a sound like the "creaking of a heavy door in a scary movie" before a tree branch fell on four schoolchildren.

Daniel Mullinger, a pupil at Heathlands Primary School in West Bergholt, was killed in the incident which happened during a school trip to Norfolk.

Teacher Christine Clarke told an inquest at Norwich how she had been with a group of ten children on an orienteering exercise in the grounds of Felbrigg Hall on June 26 last year.

"It had started to rain and we all moved to the side of the path to shelter while looking at the map," she said. "Some of the children had started walking again when I heard a noise I can only describe as the creaking of a heavy door in a scary movie.

"I did not know what it was, just that it was wrong."

A 23 metre long branch fell on the children from nine metres up a large beech tree.

Daniel, 11 and from Stanway, was hit on the head and trapped under the branch. He died from his injuries.

Harry Bowen, 11, Katie Farthing, 11 and ten year-old Max Farley were also injured.

The inquest was told that two tree surgeons inspected the tree after the event and concluded that it "was not foreseable" that the branch would fall.

The National Trust owned woodland had been inspected in January 2007 and the tree was considered medium risk requiring checks every two years.

Coroner William Armstrong read a statement from Daniel's mother Wendy Mullinger in which she expressed "concerns" about the trust's forestry management.

The hearing continues.