Mayor Joe Anderson is to kick start construction of the new £7 million Holly Lodge Girls’ College in West Derby on Friday 10th January.

According to the Liverpool Express,tThe scheme will see a new main teaching block comprising new humanities classrooms, new arts, music and drama spaces including an activity hall and a new Sixth Form with a central atrium and café area.

It is part of the Liverpool Schools Investment Programme, devised as a rescue package following the scrapping of Wave Six of Liverpool’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project, and one of the Mayor’s key pledges.

The funding – a combination of city council and Government money – was negotiated as part of Liverpool's City Deal, and will see at least 12 schools receive investment.

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The aim at Holly Lodge is to significantly reduce the number of school buildings, some of which are over 100 years old and unsuited to delivering a modern curriculum.

Mayor Anderson will take part in a turf cutting ceremony at 10am with pupils, staff, local MP Stephen Twigg and Cabinet member for education, Councillor Jane Corbett.

The scheme includes a small extension to the existing sports hall with new administrative offices and a new look reception.

There will also be a new half-sized floodlit artificial grass pitch which will be made available to the local community.

The new building is arranged in proximity to the five buildings which are being retained, which will greatly reduce lost teaching time as a result of pupils having to walk long distances between lessons.

It is proposed that around a third of the existing site at the front nearest Queens Drive will be sold when the work is completed.

Kier Construction have been appointed to carry out the work, and a target has been set for 95 percent of it to be subcontracted to firms in the Liverpool city region. Hundreds of apprenticeships are also being created through the schools investment programme.

The new building is scheduled to open in February 2015.

(CD)