A progress report on a new Castle Rushen High School was given to Castletown Commissioners by Education Minister Graham Cregeen on Monday night.

The first phase will be new playing fields - on land gifted to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture by the Holt Fund (of Balladoole House) - with a covenant ensuring it is used as playing fields and not housing.

The playing fields should take a year to complete.

He hopes the first phase will go before Tynwald next year for approval.

Tynwald has already agreed to £500,000 for preparatory work for the new school.

Further phases involve building a new shoool on current playing fields, demolition of the current building and replacement possibly with car parking, a new swimming pool and astroturf pitch.

Facilities used by the community - such as the sports hall - will be sited near the road.

Within the school itself there are plans for a lecture theatre which can also be a cinema and an area for the arts.

There will also be an area to study vocational qualifications, opening up the opportunities for students.

Classroom walls might be moveable or transparent for flexibility and vigilance.

There are plans to make the school as environmentally friendly as possible and use photovoltaic cells and ground source heat.

Mr Cregeen explained that there had been extensive research and trips to view award-winning UK schools to gathe best design ideas from elsewhere. The whole project will cost £30m to £40m and he hopes it will be completed by 2024.

Mr Cregeen said while he is minister in charge there will be no housing there, nor an access road to Knock Rushen through the site.