TEACHERS met for a welcome breakfast of champagne and bacon butties in the dining hall of the brand new Redbridge Community School yesterday.

For many it was their first proper look at the £10.3m new building which is next door to the old school on the Cuckmere Lane site.

The school, which recently won coveted specialist sports college status, will now offer dramatically enhanced modern facilities to pupils. Staff are holding two training days before the first pupils are allowed in on Wednesday and the school opens fully on Thursday.

Redbridge is the first of three new schools being built in Southampton under a £42m project. The others are Cantell School and Woodlands School - all three are being funded by a radical new form of partnership between business and public money from the government, known as a Private Finance Initiative.

Redbridge head teacher Richard Schofield said: "The new facilities are excellent and should make a real difference."