PUPILS at one of the New Forest's biggest schools are celebrating the latest phase of a multi-million-pound project to transform the school.

Work has started on a £1.6m sports hall that will revolutionise PE lessons and other gym-related activities at the 1,229-pupil Hounsdown School, Totton.

The hall is being funded by the New Opportunities Fund, which uses National Lottery money to finance education, health and environment projects across the UK.

Due to be open by the end of the year, the building will be large enough to house four badminton courts.

However, students are looking forward to playing a wide variety of sports in the showpiece complex, including indoor football, hockey and basketball.

Deputy head teacher Ian Towson-Sheehy said the new hall was part of a massive rebuild that had taken place over the past four years.

The facility will overlook an arts building that opened earlier this year and a performing arts centre that was finished three years ago.

On the opposite side of the school, two state-of-the-art science rooms are being built at a cost of £100,000.

Mr Towson-Sheehy added: "The sports hall will make a major difference to the school. At the moment we're having to use a gym that is extremely small and in a very poor condition."

The hall will be built on a poorly drained and little-used sports field next to the Totton-to-Fawley railway line.

Construction work coincides with Sport England's decision to give Hounsdown a Sportsmark award in recognition of its commitment to physical education and sports provision.

Roger Draper, Sport England's chief executive, said: "More and more young people are becoming overweight as a result of their diet and sedentary lifestyle.

"We need to emphasise the benefits of sport and physical activity to young people through positive experiences at school."