A ground-breaking ceremony was held last week to mark the start of work on the new Bow School.

The school is being expanded and relocated from Paton Close to Bow Lock in a move which will also see it open its doors to female students and cater for sixth form students for the first time.

Headteacher Cath Smith said: “The pupils and staff can’t wait to see the new site take shape as they’ve been involved throughout the design process.

“Expanding and relocating the school will give us the space to offer more pupils, an excellent learning environment and the support they need to develop into responsible young adults.”

The school is the last of 18 in Tower Hamlets to undergo regeneration since the Building Schools for the Future programme was launched in 2003, and is scheduled to open its doors to pupils in 2014.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said: “We’re committed to providing excellent educational facilities for our pupils and this programme is one example of the investment we’re making in education in Tower Hamlets.

“Our students are producing excellent results and that’s partly down to the fact that they have world-class learning environments and brilliant facilities.”