LIVERPOOL’S newest school officially opened its doors with a special appearance from an up-and-coming singer.

MOBO award winner Esco Williams performed to pupils at the £23m Enterprise South Liverpool academy (ESLA) in Garston yesterday.

The school, which boasts facilities such as a 3D theatre and breakout spaces outside classrooms for individual work, was built to encourage all different types of learning.

Covering four floors, including a large open-plan “heartspace” area for the students at the centre of the building, ESLA is equipped with university-level equipment, laptops which students can access via fingerprint technology and projectors and smartboards in each classroom.

As the school specialises in business, enterprise and language there are areas dedicated to all three, including some which look more like professional offices than classrooms, plus a language garden.

ESLA, which has 850 students aged 11-18, has also improved its carbon footprint, installing a natural heating and cooling system.

Areas of the building are also open to the community, including the business and enterprise rooms.

When phase two of the school is completed in October, it will have a nail and beauty salon, a shop, a working nursery and a market on Saturday mornings which will be open to everyone.

Outdoors ESLA has a garden for biology lessons, fitness trails, a farm and a forest classroom, and bee-keeping facilities.

Toxteth-born Esco visited yesterday as part of his roadshow for the Anthony Walker Foundation.

ESLA principal Jack Pendlebury said: “It is a 21st Century school with traditional educational values.

“The facilities and the opportunities are first-class, but it is built on a solid education for the students.

“The concept of this is like a theme park, not with rides or amusements, but learning centres.

“Everything here sparks learning of some kind.

“I want to see families and the community using the school as well.

“The roadshow was a great way to launch the state-of-the-art theatre we have within our fantastic new building.

“It is just one of the jewels in our crown and we hope one day soon our own Esco will have developed their talent on the same stage”.