The Prime Minister opens the new Bristol Brunel Academy

Around 1,000 pupils will move into the academy, which replaces the old Speedwell Technology College. Bristol Brunel Academy will specialise in communications and combines cutting-edge design, top ICT resources and world-class teaching, sport and leisure facilities.

Ed Balls Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families also confirmed a £21 billion cash injection over the next three years to build new schools across England, and launched a national debate about how children’s services could be improved during the next ten years.

The views and experiences of people feeding into the debate will help shape the Government’s ‘Children’s Plan’ - which will set out how, over the next decade, the Government, parents, the voluntary sector and schools can work together better to ensure that every child gets the best start in life, and the support they need to fulfill their potential, be happy, healthy and safe.

The £24 million Brunel Academy is the first to be completed under the once-in-a-generation Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme – one of 180 newly built or rebuilt schools to open this school year, on top of 1,100 new schools and 27,000 new or improved classrooms since 1997.

The project is part of Bristol’s £119 million first wave of BSF investment and will see four secondary schools rebuilt. Future waves of investment will cover a further five secondary school projects. The schools in BSF wave 1 in Bristol will be, Bristol Brunel Academy ( September 2007); Whitefield Fishponds School ( April 2008) Brislington Enterprise College (September 2008) Harcliffe Technology College ( January 2009).