WORK is set to start on a much-needed replacement for a Newport high school.

Newport councillors will be asked to agree that the new £29million Hartridge High School should be built according to the original state-of-the-art specifications at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

If the proposed timetable is agreed, work could start on the site as early as next month.

The current school is deemed to be unsuitable for numerous reasons including the state of disrepair of the three buildings and lack of disabled access.

Hartridge will be the second replacement school to be built as part of the council’s major secondary school redevelopment programme, which aims to raise education standards, offer first class community facilities and providing employment opportunities.

Newport High School in Bettws was the first to be completed as part of the programme. The new Active Living Centre has also seen an increase in participation compared with the old Bettws Leisure Centre.

Monthly assessment records show that almost half of those employed in the construction of Newport High were local labour with 15 apprentices working on the project.

The Hartridge scheme has been selected as a demonstration project by Constructing Excellence under the themes of sustainability, procurement and consultation.

It is intended that the new school, which will have two teaching wings wrapped around a central atrium catering for 1,450 pupils, will link the school to the community.

The proposed timetable will see enabling works beginning at the end of May with construction due to start in July. Work is expected to be completed by spring 2012.