WORK starts today on a £3.4m special school for Wearside primary pupils.

Columbia Grange School, Albert Place, Columbia, Washington, will replace the ageing Davenport and Wellbank special schools and is due to be completed next year.

The school will cater for 75 pupils aged two to 11 with severe learning difficulties and autism and is being financed by Sunderland City Council and the Government's Target Capital Fund.

It will have a library, music and IT facilities, a light and sound room and large teaching areas for nursery, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two pupils. The grounds will be landscaped.

The school will also have an outreach centre that will provide opportunities for it to work closely with the parents of pupils, health workers, social services and the area's Early Years Partnership.

City council cabinet member for education Pat Smith said: "Wellbank and Davenport have served generations of special needs pupils well, but they are both getting to the stage where they are past their sell-by date.

"Columbia Grange is typical of the new generation of special schools.

"It represents a real step forward in terms of the excellent facilities it will provide for its pupils and the wider community.''

Councillor Smith will perform the turf-cutting ceremony this morning with Gateshead East Washington West MP Joyce Quin and Fraser Kemp, MP for Houghton and Washington.