THE main structure of Southend’s new £12m Futures Community College has been completed.

A ceremony was held with staff and guests to mark the occasion.

Work at the site, in Southchurch Boulevard, is due to finish next April, when the 7,000 sq m college will open to pupils aged from 14 to 19.

Phase two of the project will involve demolishing the old Thorpe Bay School buildings, on the same site, and replacing them with a lower college for 11 to 14-year-olds.

Brian Clark, chairman of governors, slotted the final window panel into place as part of the symbolic “topping out” ceremony.

He was joined by college staff, pupils and employees from builders Rok, who are constructing the centre.

Futures College is working with vocational college Prospects, which has colleges in Southend and Basildon, providing a range of vocational courses.

Neil Bates, chief executive of the Prospects Learning Foundation Group said: “The new upper college building is an important part of our vision to transform the education and training opportunities for students.

“We are looking forward to opening the new college building in the spring of next year.”

Rok has also installed two miles of underground piping as part of an eco-friendly heating system. It is among several initiatives to make the centre as green and energy-efficient as possible.

Prospects College’s main base, in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, will close when the Futures College opens.