City's biggest secondary school takes shape

This is the future for two of Wolverhampton's top schools following a multi-million pound transformation.

Artist impressions show how the new Highfields Science Specialist School and Penn Fields School will look when built next to each other. Highfields will have 1,500 students.

New aerial shots also show the vast scale of the £38 million project, which forms part of the £270m Building Schools for the Future programme in the city.

Both schools, which will be physically linked and built on the site of the current Highfields School in Boundary Way, Penn, will open in September 2012. Wolverhampton-based construction giant Carillion is currently carrying out groundworks at the site with aerial photographs released today.

Carillion spokeswoman Jane Smith said today: "We have demolished three buildings and provided temporary accommodation for part of the school.

"We are now doing ground preparation and we are in the piling phase.

"We have 400 piles and need to do 586 piles.

"This is due to be completed in the next two weeks."

She added foundations would be laid and structural work started in mid-March.

A temporary Sixth Form block, music and drama studio, as well as a dining hall have all been installed while the works take place.

Andy Baker, assistant headteacher for E-learning at Highfields School, said: "It's business as usual at the school. Everyone is looking forward to the new school opening. We are going to have much more modern facilities."

Although the school will be bigger in size, it will not be taking on any additional pupils. It will however be the biggest secondary school in the city.

The two schools will share sports pitches and learning areas.

The BSF project will lead to the complete rebuilding or refurbishing of 25 secondary schools across the city.

The city's BSF scheme has been stripped of £34.8m, but council bosses insist that any cuts are manageable.