Students and staff at Rednock School will be wowed when their new school is unveiled next week.

Work began on Gloucestershire County Council’s most ambitious school building project nearly two years ago.  The school has been built at a cost of approximately £30million and state-of-art-facilities include three pods,  one of which contains an extensive learning resource centre, an non symmetrical staircases and support pillars, a scenic lift, thermal roofs in the atria in each wing of the building and an international standard all weather football pitch.

Sustainability features include: * A ‘grassed’ roof on the main school building * All rainwater is collected and used for grey water treatment, including flushing of toilets * A biomass boiler and underfloor heating * A sustainable drainage system controls water flow into the system * A wind turbine to provide additional power to the science department * Solar panels * Sophisticated lighting controls which control use of the lighting to the classrooms areas to avoid being left on at night * Thermal insulation * Natural light and ventilation systems * The demolition material from the existing school has been used for landscaping around the school   David Alexander, Headteacher of Rednock School, said: “We could hardly believe it when we heard the news that we were going to be Gloucestershire’s pathfinder school.  But now we are in this wonderful iconic building, it feels as though all our Christmases have come at once.  It is a truly fantastic facility for the students and the community which will enhance their life chances.  We are eagerly looking forward to working in here for many years to come. It can be summed up in one word, Wow!”

Cllr Jackie Hall, Cabinet Member for Schools, said: “This has been a challenging project but the end result has certainly been worth it.  The new facilities will go a long way to sustaining the excellent exam results that we saw this year and provide the community with additional resources”.

Brian Tipper, local county councillor, said: “Schools are always the 'king pin' in any community and Rednock is going to be just that. With the new teaching facilities being second to none, the staff and pupils will be better placed to reach even higher educational heights. Like the ripples formed when a pebble is thrown into a pond, the effect Rednock will have on Dursley will be beyond measure.”

Dennis Andrewartha, local county councillor said: “This is a fantastic building that gives our community, the staff and the pupils of Rednock the facilities they need and deserve.  I am confident that the first class staff at Rednock will, with the new modern facilities, further enhance the excellent performance and reputation of our school”.

The old school building will be demolished and the space will be made into a large social and games area for pupils with a full sized grass pitch, basket ball and netball courts, running track and outdoor amphitheatre for drama productions.