Children at two Plymouth schools and a nursery will be able to wave goodbye to their tired 1930s and 1940s school buildings and share brand new facilities.

The 'Pavilions in the Park' design comprises five main blocks plus sports facilities within heavily landscaped grounds designed to be part of the overall learning experience.

Plymouth City Council has been working with the governing bodies of Ham Drive Nursery, North Prospect Community and South Trelawny Primary Schools to create exciting new facilities that will improve further the quality of teaching and learning.

The new learning centre will cost approximately £8 million to build and will open in September 2009. It will enable parents and the wider community to use new facilities during and outside normal school hours and in the school holidays.

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The centre will have 420 pupil places and will include a specialist unit for children with autistic spectrum disorders/complex communication disorders.

Five separate buildings will be linked by covered walkways and each classroom will open onto its own outside learning space. An extension to the nursery will start later in the year.

As well as the classroom areas there will be a main activities centre, which will house the hall, library, an ICT suite, kitchen and dining room, community rooms, staff room and offices. The site will also have new sports facilities including a multi use games area and two football pitches.

The building has also been designed to be as eco-friendly as possible with a bio fuel boiler, solar panels and recycling plant for rain water. Pupils will also have their awareness raised of energy use through viewing panels.

Chris Watts, Head of North Prospect Community School, said: "We have a design that makes the whole site a learning experience that is sensitive to its location on a green field site. We will have some really beautiful landscaping including a sensory garden, planting areas, and significantly improved play spaces."

Devon Contractors will carry out the building work and the scheme will be project managed by EC Harris.

(CD/JM)