A £25.5-million project to build Islwyn High School is now fully completed.

Contractor Wilmott Dixon officially handed over the keys to head teacher Tim Williams earlier this week.

The three-storey building will soon become a permanent home for pupils of the former Pontllanfraith and Oakdale Comprehensive Schools in a matter of weeks.

Wilmott Dixon contractors have been on site since 2015 transforming the wasteland which was once home to the Oakdale Colliery into a fit-for-purpose ‘21st-Century School’.

Pupil Ambassadors have been at the forefront of the building process visiting the site regularly to update their peers on the progress.

The school has features such as modern teaching spaces, state of the art technology workshops, science labs and IT suites spread across three floors. The outside space boasts a 3G pitch and multi-use games area as well as outdoor learning spaces and an amphitheatre.

Head teacher Tim Williams added: “To say we are excited to reach this stage is an understatement. I have been to the site so many times so I feel like I know the layout inside out. However I feel it will truly become a school when all of our pupils arrive.”