A TOPPING out ceremony was held at Sarum Academy on Monday to mark the progress made on its new school building.

Sir Robert McAlpine builders have completed the outside structure shell of the building and regional manager Mark Williamson visited the school to mark the occasion.

Neil Boulton, vice chairman of governors, signalled the start of the ceremony by ringing the bell at 3.45pm in the ceremonial area.

“It’s very encouraging to see the new building and the progress it has made,” he said. “New projects are crucial to meet the current needs of pupils, where a lot of things can be achieved.”

Work on the internal structures and fittings will soon get underway and once the £15.5million building is complete, which should be by September 2013, there will be new teaching blocks, an ICT suite, library, salon and workshops for vocational courses.

Headteacher Ruth Johnson said: “I’m incredibly excited about the building, which will also be available for the community to use. There’s so much to look forward to.”