BUILDING work has started on a privately-funded school and community education centre.

A turf-cutting ceremony took place at Sandhill View School, in Thorney Close, near Sunderland, yesterday.

The £21m project is being built through the Government's Private Finance Initiative and is expected to take 15 months to complete.

It will include a school for 900 pupils, community learning centre, sports centre, swimming pool, library and youth centre.

All of Sunderland's educational support services, presently housed at the Broadway Centre, in Sunderland, will be transferred to the campus.

The leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Colin Anderson, said: "The community is going to love this project.

"It's designed to put the people from the estates surrounding Sandhill View at the heart of their local school.

"The idea is at the forefront of educational thinking and practice to encourage people of all ages to use the premises for their own lifelong learning, as well as the traditional role of a vibrant secondary school."

Developer Jarvis will own the school and lease it back to the city council, but responsibility for the operation of the school and its management will be retained by Sunderland local education authority (LEA) and the school's staff and governors.

Jarvis will also be responsible for the community learning centre site, buildings and services such as cleaning.

LEA director Dr John Williams said: "The start of the Sandhill View project is a historic moment for the school, the community of Thorney Close and the city as a whole.

"By September 2002, the project will offer 21st century facilities for the school and a range of community and educational services - a major step forward in our shared ambition for the regeneration of the city and the raising of educational aspirations.