Work has started on a new £17m secondary school in Rochdale.
The Edgar Wood Academy will accommodate 900 11 to 16-year-old pupils from the Heywood, Middleton, Birch and Langley areas.
It will be operated by Altus Education Partnership, a multi-academy trust.
Contractor Wates Construction has started the 72,000 square foot building which is being developed on grazing land at Birch and Bowlee.
It is the result of increased demand for secondary places following the expansion of local primary schools, and will be ready for September 2022.
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It will comprise a three-storey teaching block containing 23 general classrooms and 34 specialist classrooms, a sports hall, sports pitches, soft and hard play areas, car parking and drop-off areas.
Headteacher designate Marcin Kojder said: “I have been incredibly fortunate to work with a team who will listen and provide expert and reasoned advice.
"Wates Construction has paid particular attention to the school’s vision and how the building can help to achieve it.
"As the school has developed, time has been set aside for additional meetings, just so that we can get the school exactly how we want it."
Planning permission for the school was given in January. The scheme includes a total of 183 parking spaces - including 91 staff and 68 standard bays - 42 new trees and 227m of native hedgerow will be planted as part of the landscaping.
Dave Saville, regional director of Wates Construction North West said: "We are using our Prism off-site manufacturing facility, which offers many advantages, including substantially reducing waste on site and lowering the carbon footprint of both our construction activities and the operational use of the buildings."
James Jones, a partner at architect Sheppard Robson, has been working with the designated Mr Kojder and his colleagues on the interior styling, which incorporates some additional features to reflect the work of the architect and draftsman, Edgar Wood, who was active in Manchester at the turn of the 20th century, was a leading player within the arts and crafts movement and whose name the school takes."
