PUPILS attending a new city academy are to be sent on work experience – in China.

A business-backed £25m “super- school” is due to open from September next year under the name Garston and South Liverpool Business and Enterprise Academy.

And last night it was confirmed students attending the academy, being created as part of a £500m transformation of the city’s secondaries, will visit China to boost Mandarin and business studies.

The joint Catholic and Church of England academy will replace and meet the needs of the communities served by Allerton’s New Heys Comprehensive and Garston RC secondary St Benedict’s, which will close.

Sponsors of the school include the University of Liverpool.

In 2006, it set up an independent university in Suzhou – an hour from Liverpool’s sister city, Shanghai.

And Liverpool council hope the Chinese presence will see the academy pupils forge links and visit the Suzhou university and neighbouring schools.

The idea is that academy pupils will be able to broaden their experiences and “learn about new cultures first-hand and to apply their developing language skills.”