The brand new secondary schools – Allerton High, Rodillian and Pudsey Grangefield – are the first schools to be completed as part of the £250m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project.
The hand-over means thousands of young people will enter a new era of learning when they return to school later this month in purpose built, specialist buildings designed to provide flexible learning spaces and cutting-edge school environments.
Leeds BSF will transform 13 of the city’s secondary schools - a total of five new builds and eight rebuild and refurbishments – to create some of the most advanced learning environments in the country.
The Leeds BSF project is being delivered through the Leeds Local Education Partnership (LEP) which brings together Education Leeds, Leeds City Council and the Interserve-led consortium Environments 4 Learning to shape the most advanced learning environments nationally. ICT experts, RM Education, are providing schools with the latest e-learning facilities to support and enhance teaching and learning.
The flexible learning spaces include innovative new features such as a lecture theatre, breakout spaces and adjustable sized classrooms which, coupled with an unprecedented level of mobile computing and learning technology, will help schools provide young people and their local communities with the skills needed for life in the 21st century.
Councillor Richard Harker, executive board member responsible for learning, said: “These new schools are 21st century learning environments, designed to give our young people the skills, knowledge and experience for the best possible start to their adult lives.
“Each school has unique features which reflect that each young person, school and community is different. Combined with the dedication of our teachers and support staff, our pupils will really benefit from these new facilities.”
Chris Edwards, chief executive of Education Leeds, said: “Education Leeds has been transforming learning through state-of-the-art buildings and facilities for some years but these extraordinary buildings take this to a new height.
“The Leeds BSF partnership has been a fantastic success because everyone involved shares our vision to create brilliant learning places where every young person can be happy, healthy, safe and successful.” 
Bob Vince, of the E4L Consortium, said: “The completion of these new schools represents a significant milestone in the development of Education Leeds education provision. Our teams have worked hard to ensure that the new schools are ready for the pupils and we hope that they enjoy using their new facilities”.
Tim Byles, CEO of Partnerships for Schools, the government agency responsible for delivering BSF nationwide, said: "Today is a day of celebration for students, teachers and local communities in Leeds, as well as one for the BSF programme nationally.
"The Leeds BSF programme is one of the most exciting we have seen, with innovations including the first purpose-built multi-faith centre in a BSF school.
"BSF investment in Leeds will help to put resources and buildings at the centre of the communities they serve. I look forward to seeing these schools - and the young people and learne
rs of Leeds - flourish."
Young people at two more schools - Temple Moor High and Cockburn College of Arts – will also start the new term in state-of-the-art blocks completed as part of a wholesale rebuild and refurbishment under the BSF programme.
Improvements at Temple Moor High School Specialist Science College have seen a new science block, technology block and additional sports facilities built while Cockburn College of Arts has a new design technology block, a number of new art classrooms and a refurbished theatre.
Work has also begun on-site at two other new build schools – Allerton Grange and Swallow Hill Community College, the new secondary school for Armley and Wortley, which will open in September 2009.
