SPACE was the place for these star-gazing youngsters as they visited a new school taking education inspiration from the cosmos.

Banbury Academy’s Leah Wheeler and Addison Staite-Loveridge, 12, were among visitors to the Space Studio school in its grounds.

It will open in September 2014 and teach GCSEs and A-Levels through the theme of space.

Year 8 pupil Leah said: “It looks exciting and really interesting.”

Addison said: “I think it is really exciting – it has lots of different areas in science.”

Its first year will feature 75 students from Years 10 and 12 with the total rising to 300 pupils as those year groups join in subsequent years.

The school, a UK first, was given the go-ahead by the Department for Education in April and will use the former Broughton building following a refit costing about £1m.

Principal designate Mike Grocott said the UK will need 50,000 extra jobs to fuel the global space industry by 2020. Professor Andy Newsam, director of the National Schools’ Observatory in Liverpool, was a special guest as the Space Studio opened its doors.