Almost £40m will be injected into schools in the Amble area after a switch to two-tier education was agreed.
Northumberland County Council had pledged the cash as part of its schools improvement programme, but wanted to ensure that the future of education in the Coquet partnership was decided before committing to such a significant expenditure.
The cabinet's final decision on Thursday following significant public consultation, in which parents, staff and stakeholders overwhelmingly backed a move from three-tier to two-tier education.
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A total of £39m will be spent in the area, including £25.7m going towards new school buildings for James Calvert Spence College. Meanwhile, Amble First School will be relocated to the current JCSC South Avenue site and become a primary school.
Other first schools in the partnership will also expand into primaries, while SEND provision will also be provided in the partnership for the first time via a satellite site of Alnwick's Barndale House School, also housed at the South Avenue site.
Speaking at Thursday's cabinet meeting, Coun Guy Renner Thompson, portfolio holder for children's services, said: "This is the next stage of the council's exemplar school investment programme.
"All the first schools are supportive and the support from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.
“This is really exciting news for Amble. We’ve been working on these proposals for a long time, but now the plans will really start to take shape.
“Not only will this development provide first-class learning facilities for our children and young people, but fantastic sports facilities that will benefit the community too.”
In terms of teaching staff, there is thought there will be a need for the first schools to "redesign" their staffing structures, with the possible need for additional staff. JCSC is also expected to need to redesign the structure there.
A report presented to members said: "Council officers have worked with all schools in the Coquet Partnership to secure their agreement to a staffing protocol. The purpose of the protocol is to retain as many of the existing staff within schools as possible through transition to the 2- tier (primary/secondary) structure."
James Calvert Spence College, recently rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted inspectors, will be rebuilt on the school field that sits between the current JCSC middle school and recreation ground on Acklington Road. The building will be carbon neutral in operation and have a two-storey courtyard design.
Audrey Kingham, Joint Interim Director of Children’s Services and Director of Education and Skills, said: “It’s been a phenomenal amount of work on behalf of all involved to get the project to this stage and I know everyone shares the same drive and commitment to supporting our young people and ensure they reach their full potential.”
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