Pupils and staff from Pike Fold Primary School, Blackley, watched with wonder as the first steel that will shape their brand new school was put into place last week.
The steel structure now being erected on site forms the basis of the £7.28m new school due to open in January 2013.
The new environmentally sustainable school is being built on the corner of Chapel Lane and Old Market Street in Blackley. It will be fully accessible and is being designed to provide an outstanding start for 420 pupils aged 5-11 years, as well as a 52 place nursery.
The new school will also become a mainstream resourced hub for local primary school aged pupils who are on the autistic spectrum or who have speech, language, and communication needs.
The whole scheme has been designed to make the most of the building and the surrounding grounds to ensure that the learning experience carries on outside the classroom as well as in it.
The three storey building therefore includes a variety of teaching and learning spaces - both inside and out.
There will be a terraced outdoor learning area on the first floor of the building, and a bridge over the car park will lead children safely to another landscaped learning and play area. There will also be an outdoor multi use games area allowing a range of sports to be played, and an outdoor bike track.
Inside, the new school will boast a variety of flexible teaching and learning spaces and all classrooms will be equipped with all the very latest technologies including interactive white boards.
Headteacher of Pike Fold Primary School, Maureen Denton, said: "The new school will be amazing. Our children are really looking forward to it and can't wait for it to open. In the mean time they have been fully involved in the design of the new building and the outdoor spaces.
"They are fascinated by the whole construction process and are learning lots about how new buildings are created, and the different stages of construction."
Councillor Afzal Khan, Executive Member Children's Services, Manchester City Council, said: "We're determined to do everything we can to create top class facilities for all children and young people in our schools.
"The new school promises to be a real landmark building for the local area, and will do much to help drive up educational standards in the local area even further."