Pupils and staff at Liverpool's largest secondary school are celebrating the end of almost three years of rebuilding work today.

Contractors have now finished work on the new £18 million Alsop Technology College in Walton following the completion of a new multi-use games area, playground, courtyard and landscaping.

Home to 1800 pupils, Alsop was the first Liverpool school to benefit from the national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Six other schools which were also part of Wave 2 of the initiative have also been modernised.

Tomorrow, council chiefs and partners will join pupils and teachers for celebrations, along with former Lord Mayor and local MP, Steve Rotheram.

The 84-year-old school has undergone a complete transformation, with the work being completed in three phases over the last eight months.

Hundreds of pupils previously taught in dozens of mobile units are now being educated in modern classrooms and are using the latest technology.

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Designed by the city council's design joint venture partnership, 2020 Liverpool and built by Liverpool-based construction, infrastructure and design business Morgan Sindall, it features a dance studio and new areas for dining and socialising.

Specialist business studies classrooms and cutting-edge ICT equipment have further boosted the school curriculum.

Cabinet member for education, Councillor Jane Corbett, said: "This fantastic new school will boost education for thousands of young people, giving them the skills they need to do achieve their potential.

"The project reflects our vision for education in Liverpool and what we had wanted to achieve in the city's remaining secondary schools through Wave 6 of Building Schools for the Future.

"It is about creating top quality facilities which accommodate new ways of learning and make sure no child is left behind.

"I'm delighted for everyone at Alsop, and I’m looking forward to seeing the school go from strength to strength in the future."

Barry Roberts, Morgan Sindall area director, said: "We are thrilled to help launch this striking new learning environment for the local community.

"We are passionate about creating inspiring spaces for both students and teaching staff and we are confident the new Alsop Technology College will offer young people the very best platform for their future careers or studies."

Alsop High opened in 1926 and was extended in the 1950s and 1960s. When Queen Mary school in Fazakerley closed in 2002 it took in more pupils and mobile classrooms had to be built in the playground to accommodate them.

The city council is working on alternative plans to improve schools which were in Wave 6 of BSF, following the cancellation of the £350 million scheme by the government last year.

(CD)