A NEW school arts centre has been given approved by planners.

Worthing High School’s plan for a new two-storey teaching building was given the go-ahead by the Worthing Borough Council planning committee on Wednesday.

The centre will be constructed on the site of a former caretaker’s house in South Farm Road and will include a 260-seat auditorium for school performances, assemblies, and community events.

Two additional classrooms will be built on the first floor.

The plans also include a new larger reception area, while a single-storey building of classrooms will be replaced with a new two-storey block.

A school spokesman said the auditorium was a “much sought-after facility” that will provide lots of new functions for the school.

The new classrooms are essential for the school’s plans to accept 240 pupils per age group by September 2022.

Councillors approved the plans, provided builders properly soundproof the area before construction takes place.

The school, right, has struggled to take in students for the past few years. It has been oversubscribed since 2015.

Governors hope the new developments will be funded by the Condition Improvement Fund, a Government programme which provides cash for academies and sixth form colleges throughout the country.