The construction of Tianjin Wellington International School, with a total investment of 400 million yuan, started on Monday at Lujiazui Business and Living complex.

Wellington School, is a co-educational public school in Wellington, England, catering for both boarders and day pupils. It is one of the most prestigious public schools in the UK.

The Tianjin school will be run with the same standard of UK Wellington School and even use the same textbooks to provide top-notch education for the children of foreigners working and living in Tianjin.

Comprised of a kindergarten, primary school and secondary school, Tianjin Wellington is scheduled to enroll 1,560 students aged from 3-18 in September, 2011 after its completion.

The 19th-century-British-architeture-styled school buildings include a grand hall, stadium and indoor swimming pool.

The school is an important auxiliary project of the Lujiazui Business and Living complex, targeted at foreigners in the municipality. The complex has seen an investment totaling 12 billion yuan from Shanghai Lujiazui Finance & Trade Zone Development Co.

The school will play a role in improving the local educational level for foreign students and attracting foreigners to work and live there, a local official in charge of education said.

Currently over 100,000 foreigners are living in northern China’s coastal city and increasing numbers are being attracted by the city’s dynamic economy.

By Guo Changdong