EDUCATION secretary Alan Johnson hailed a new special school in Weymouth as a model for the rest of the country during a visit yesterday.

The Secretary of State joined Schools Minister and South Dorset MP Jim Knight for a tour of facilities at the new Wyvern School in Dorchester Road.

The potential Labour leadership candidate said the £6.5 million spent on the building was worth every penny and was a shining example of how mainstream and special schools can share the same site.

Wyvern is relocating from its current cramped building in Chickerell Road to state-of-the-art premises built alongside Wey Valley School and St Nicholas and St Laurence School.

After touring facilities, Mr Johnson told teachers and pupils assembled in the new sports hall: "It's great to see something people have worked so hard on come to fruition.

"Wyvern epitomises something we want to do in education - namely a co-location which knits together great facilities for children of all needs.

"The project is a real partnership between three schools that will bring benefits to all pupils.

"As it is built alongside the other schools, pupils will be able to integrate into mainstream schools when it best meets their needs and the schools will be able to share their expertise."

Mr Johnson said a recent study by Ofsted had found children with disabilities performed better when they were educated in a special school on a mainstream site.

Having been taken by the hand on an impromptu tour by Wyvern pupil Thomas Wells, Mr Johnson joked about the current labour leadership crisis: "In this quiet and tranquil time in politics I'm grateful to be here."

He added: "I congratulate everyone concerned with this fantastic building. This is a model of what we want to achieve in the rest of the country."

The single story building will accommodate 86 pupils with a wide variety of learning difficulties.

Mr Johnson was shown the separate areas for primary, secondary and older pupils.

They include therapy rooms, a hydrotherapy pool, specialist teaching areas and specialist medical and educational equipment.

He chatted with Dorset County Council architect Andrew Buckingham, acting headteacher at Wyvern, Sue Hoxey, headteacher at St Nicholas, Jo Ashdown, and Wey Valley headteacher Phil Thomas.

The MP asked his guides about the role of parents, the improved sporting facilities and sharing science laboratories.

Mr Thomas said: "The great thing from my perspective is that this is an opportunity to work with more young people - and whether you think of them as having learning difficulties or not they are all young people.

"It won't only help Wyvern pupils to be here on the campus, it will also help my pupils to work with them."

Construction of the new building started in July 2005 and has been jointly funded by the Department for Education and Skills and Dorset County Council.

Some of the landscaping and interior work was still being completed as Mr Johnson toured but the doors are due to be opened on time in November.

Architect Andrew Buck- ingham said that the curved design of the building represented the link and integration between the schools.

Mr Knight said he was impressed by the building.

"If you contrast it with Wyvern's current facilities there is a vast improvement.

"They have been making the most of very cramped conditions but thanks to investment and the hard work of everyone here the children's education and personal development will be greatly enhanced."