A MULTI-MILLION pound school has been opened by an acclaimed space scientist.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock unveiled a plaque and officially declared Great Western Academy in the Tadpole Garden Village open at a special ceremony yesterday.

Dr Aderin-Pocock was delighted that one of the new school’s houses was named after her: “This school is the manifestation of the power of dreams. This amazing school was once a dream and its come to fulfilment. Everyone should have a crazy dream, reach for the stars and see where they take you.”

The £21m secondary school welcomed its first batch of pupils a few weeks ago and they all attended the ceremony with officials, councillors and other representatives who had supported the facility.

It began with Voice Kids star Lilia Slattery singing Reach by S Club 7, with other pupils joining in with the second chorus.

Justin Tomlinson MP worked with former New College principal Graham Taylor to get the government to pay for GWA in 2015.

At the same time, The Deanery Academy - currently under construction - also applied for funding. Both bids were successful, which, according to Mr Tomlinson, was “completely and utterly unheard of.”

He added: “In the 18 years I’ve been elected, this is the biggest project I’ve ever been involved in and one of my proudest moments.

“The school’s first intake of pupils was fully-prescribed, which proved that we were right to push for it.

“I’m thrilled that students get to experience this amazing school, thank you to everyone who played their part. This is a brilliant moment for our community.”

Graham Taylor led the proposal group and is now a GWA governor. He said: “The parents and community were so supportive, we got almost 1,000 signatures which was the biggest in the country for that wave of funding.

“I’ve never met so many articulate Year 7 pupils. I’m sure that GWA will grow and prosper thanks to your efforts and enthusiasm. What a terrific asset this is to learners of all ages, the local community, and sports clubs.”

The school has a dance studio, three football pitches, a multi-use games area, and a four-court sports hall. Pupils, including 11-year-olds Bradley and Tyrone, showed impressed guests around the state-of-the-art building.

Bradley said: “I think it’s a really good school, it has a lot of new technology, it looks really nice and modern. I like the teachers, they’re making our lessons really fun.”

Tyrone said: “It’s amazing, we’re very lucky. Only year 7 pupils are here at the moment, which makes it easy to make new friends.”