A BURY high school is spending £300,000 to offer students better training in vocational subjects.

Broad Oak sports college is building a new hair and beauty training salon and a construction centre, along with a hi-tech music suite.

The salon will boast 16 hairdressing bays and six beauty areas to help students work towards a range of GCSE, NVQ and BTec qualifications. The move will strengthen a partnership struck with Bury College which teaches Broad Oak pupils at its Woodbury Centre campus.

The Hazel Avenue school hopes to rent the facilities to a professional hairdresser in order to offer low-cost haircuts to the local community outside school hours.

The construction centre, which will also operate with Bury College, will offer a similar range of courses, including nationally recognised Construction Industry Training Board certificates.

Mr Neil O'Connor, headteacher, said: "This is a major investment which will deliver impressive facilities and enable our students to develop vocational skills and pursue the qualifications which best suit their talents and abilities.

"Some will want to pursue the traditional GCSE route while others will see NVQs or BTecs as providing them with the best platform for success after they leave school."

He said the new facilities would mean Broad Oak was well placed to offer new specialised diplomas which the Government is to introduce in September 2008.

The music suite will incorporate three practice rooms, one of which will offer broadcast quality recording facilities equipped with state-of-the-art software and electronic tools.