Boris Johnson officially opens Sutton school (From Your Local Guardian)

Boris Johnson officially opens Sutton school

10:19am Monday 13th February 2012 in News By Sophia Sleigh

Boris Johnson gave Stanley Park High School the seal of approval on Thursday.

The Mayor of London visited the state-of-the-art school for the official open day on Thursday, February 9.

Followed by a throng of students, parents and dignitaries, Mr Johnson toured the new facilities including the sports hall, drama studio and car workshop.

Students are assigned to one of the four schools when they first start at the school but can take options within the other schools, which are themed to focus on different talents and abilities.

The World school specialises in the humanities and foreign languages.

The Performance school specialiases in PE, dance, music, drama and media.

Trade contains a large number of vocational subjects including technology and art and design.

The fourth school, Horizon, is a small school for children with autism.

There were speeches by Council Leader Sean Brennan and head teacher David Taylor and hundreds packed into the sports hall where Mr Johnson gave a speech and cut a large ribbon.

Mr Johnson said: "The practical work ethic espoused by Stanley Park High has already proved to be an enormous success story for the young people of Sutton, and because of these wonderful new facilities the benefits are also soon to be felt by adult learners in the borough.

"The school is working to equip people with the skills they need to enter the challenging world of work, which is essential if we are to avoid letting a generation of talent go to waste in this difficult jobs market.

"It's a great honour to open such a fantastic new community resource."

Head teacher David Taylor, said: "It’s great to be able to welcome parents, local people and some of the people who helped to make our school a reality to have a look around the finished building.

We’ve been teaching here for a few weeks now and the students absolutely love it.

"A lot of the facilities, including the gym and sports pitches, are available for the use of the wider community, so today was a chance for them have a look at the first class facilities they’ve now got right on their doorstep."

The school was five years in the making and boasts some of the most high-tech features of any school in the country.

State-of-the-art eco-features include a natural ventilation system, plenty of green, open spaces and allotments and the whole project was carbon neutral.