WORK on a school for 1500 Caldicot pupils is on track, with the site set to open next autumn.

The £35 million site is currently a hive of activity, with 50 per cent of the steel framework already being assembled.

Councillors, teachers and students were given a tour of the site, which when completed will be home to 1500 students and 200 staff.

The new school is part of Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) 21st Century Schools programme, with half of the funding coming from MCC and half from Welsh Government.

A ceremony to mark the progress of the school was attended by the chairman of MCC Jim Higginson and the Mayor of Caldicot David Evans.

They were accompanied by Newport East assembly member John Griffiths, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member for schools and learning Liz Hacket Pain, councillors from the school’s catchment area and the chair of the school’s governors, Peter Nurcombe as well as headteacher Susan Gwyer-Roberts, head girl Abby Cutter and head boy James Taylor with Year 9 pupils Jack Pocock and Rhiannon Pullen. All present were given a tour of the site by representatives of contractor Interserve so they could witness the development of the project.

Councillor Liz Hacket Pain said: “I’m incredibly proud to be able to stand here today.

“I am proud that local contractors, apprentices and others will benefit from the construction of this building and delighted that we have used steel sourced from Britain.

“I can see hope for the future, we’re going to have a new building here for 30, 40, 50 years and I can’t see anything other than positivity.

“The headteacher has to be the envy of just about every other headteacher in the country, who wouldn’t want a brand new school?”

Cllr Jim Higginson said: “This project is going to be tremendous when it is finished.

“To see how it is going up already is a great pleasure.”

Headteacher of Caldicot School, Susan Gwyer-Roberts added: “Today’s ceremony marks the culmination of a vibrant period of successful stakeholder engagement between the Welsh Government and MCC to achieve a clear vision for secondary school investment for the 21st century. On behalf of our pupils, staff, parents and governors, we would like to thank all agencies for their support in realising a new build for the community of Caldicot.”

The school is currently on time for its completion date of autumn 2017 with the completion of the whole campus by summer 2018.