The new Stanley Park High School is to open to pupils next week.

The countdown to the opening has begun, with builders handing over the keys to the £50m state of the art building.

Staff are now putting the finishing touches to the 1,400 pupil school, which opens to pupils on January 16.

They worked over the Christmas break to fit out the school, ready for the first day of term. The school has kept the inside of its new building a relative secret.

The new school is divided into four separate small schools: Horizon, Performance, Trade and World, each with around 350 pupils.

Its unique approach to education and the new building are based on the Human Scale Education Movement, which put an emphasis on relationships.

Half the curriculum is based on teaching 10 key skills for life. Horizon supports a small number of autistic pupils.

Headteacher David Taylor said: “The school has been five years in the making, so it’s really exciting to now have the keys and to be able to start fitting it out.

“The new school is one of the best learning spaces in the country. It is carbon neutral and the classrooms are flexible and designed to ignite a passion for learning.

“Our exam results have been gone up and up over the last six years, attendance levels have soared and the number of parents naming us as their first choice school has gone through the roof.

"I hope our new school will inspire our staff and students to continue this success and go on to achieve even more.”

Councillor Kirsty Jerome, Sutton Council’s Executive Member for Education and Schools, said: “Stanley Park High is a real success story and we are delighted to hand over the keys to the new building.

“Sutton has some of the best schools and exam results in the country. The new Stanley Park will offer even greater opportunities for our young students. I am especially pleased that young people with ASD will also benefit from this fabulous new school. ”

The £50m project was funded by the Building Schools for the Future programme and Sutton Council.