A POTENTIAL site for a new secondary school for Poole has been secured by the council with a £1.9m agreement to buy the former Jellicoe Theatre.

The site at Lower Con-stitution Hill has been bought from The Bournemouth and Poole College in a deal worth £1.9m to the college.

It is one of two locations under consideration for a new secondary school to meet demand from 2018 onwards, when the town could need an extra 300 school places per year according to current projections.

The other site is the Dolphin Swimming Pool, and the council is also considering expanding existing schools in the borough.

Janet Walton, cabinet portfolio holder for children services at Borough of Poole, said: “There are a number of options now being considered for the location.

“One of these is to look at its suitability for the con-struction of a new secondary school, although no final decisions have yet been made.”

For the Bournemouth and Poole College the sale helps the funding of its £11m building programme.

The plans include a contemporary 136-seat per-forming arts theatre, a digital media centre and new laboratories for health and medical sciences.

Lawrence Vincent, college principal, said: “This is the final piece in the financial arrangement which secures the funding for this excep-tional project.

“The building will not only benefit students, staff, residents and the whole of Poole but also provides support for the strategic objectives of the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.

“The council is a long-established and trusted partner and we are delighted to have reached an agreement with them.”

Contractor Willmott Dixon began work in April the college’s North Road campus North Road, and the external work on the building is almost done. It is scheduled for completion for September next year.