CIVIC officials have enjoyed a guided tour of a Poole school’s new £15million building project.

Magna Academy principal Richard Tutt met officials, including Borough of Poole cabinet member Cllr Mike White, during the tour on Tuesday afternoon.

The school in Canford Heath, formerly Ashdown Technology College, opened its doors in September. Now all of the new facilities have been completed.

Mr Tutt said: “We’re delighted with the state-of-the-art facility, it is an amazing 21st century learning environment, which combined with the £1.5m investment in ICT, provides an excellent platform to support Magna Academy’s drive to become outstanding by 2016.”

The building project has created open learning spaces alongside classrooms, a performance space, lecture theatre and drama studio.

Cllr White said: “It really is fantastic to see the students enjoying this facility. This was such a huge building project, and to see our young people benefiting from this investment really is wonderful.”

The Academy is run by the Aspirations Academies Trust and this year 51 per cent of GCSE students achieved the national standard of five GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and mathematics. Mr Tutt has set a target for next year of 70 per cent.

It was only five months ago since government Ofsted inspectors lifted Ashdown out of special measures and ranked it as a good school.

A Borough of Poole spokesman said: “Students at Magna Academy have enjoyed their first term in their new school, benefitting from a £1.5m redevelopment.

“The dark, narrow corridors of the old school have been replaced with light and airy circulation spaces complete with study areas.”