£20m school construction complete

The £20m school will open on 6 September, 2004

A construction project to build a £20m school, that a council claims will change the face of education in West Sussex, has been completed.

Oriel High School, in Maidenbower, near Crawley, West Sussex, has been handed over to the county council by construction company HBG.

The school, built as part of a £60m Crawley Private Finance Initiative, will open on 6 September.

The council said the sports facilities will also benefit the community.

'Ever changing world'

There are artificial turf pitches, a sports hall, a community games area, studios and badminton courts in the grounds.

Inside the school, for 11 to 18-year-olds, there are modern laboratories and IT suites.

About 480 pupils will be enrolled in September and this number will rise to 1,480 by 2008.

Gill Smith, the school's head teacher, said: "We are aiming to create a special school providing the best possible education for our students as they grow into adulthood, confident and skilled to take their place in our ever changing world.

"Our measure of success will be our students' success."