Pupils and teachers at a Battersea secondary school have celebrated moving to a permanent site.

On Friday afternoon, the Archbishop of Southwark , the Rev Peter Smith, opened the St John Bosco College site in Surrey Lane, which has been built by LendLease and designed by award winning Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).

The new college is the site of the former Salesian College, and will provide facilities including a Sport England-compliant sports hall, an external games area, and a double height chapel.

Wandsworth Times:

The games area will also be available for community group use outside of school hours.

September 2013: New school campus for Battersea after planning committee approval

July 2014: MP visits site of St John Bosco College, Battersea

Simon Uttley, headteacher, St John Bosco College, said: "The modern facilities will help inspire and lead our students as they continue on their Catholic academic journey.

"Today marks a celebration and a new chapter for St John Bosco College and I am delighted to welcome pupils to their new school."

Pupils will learn in flexible classrooms with moveable, separating walls, which have been fitted with interactive boards, projectors and sound systems.

The college was formed through the merger of John Paul II and Salesian College in 2011.

Leader of Wandsworth Council, Councillor Ravi Govindia, said: "I am delighted, on behalf of the borough of Wandsworth, to help celebrate St John Bosco College’s move to its superb new building in Battersea.

"It is an excellent example of modern school architecture at its best - achieving a spacious, light and flexible solution to meet the school’s needs.

"It is a testament to the success of the partnership between the College, the trustees of the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark and the Salesians of Don Bosco, the Council, Lendlease and their design team.

"This is a school that everyone associated with can take pride in. I am sure it will inspire its pupils to set ambitious targets for themselves and to realise them."

The completion of the school marks the start of work on 110 homes, made up of flats and townhouses, with a play area in Southfields, due for completion in Spring 2018.