Standing beneath the huge steel framework that will become the UK's first secondary university training school, head teacher Michael Roden is brimming with excitement.

Not even built yet, the University of Birmingham School is already making waves - with more than 1,600 parents signed up to attend open days and 80 children having already applied for just 150 places available for its first Year 7 intake in September next year.

With full access to the university's resources, the £23 million free school is aiming to offer an education that could rival top fee-paying establishments.

Subjects normally associated with private schools like Latin, ballet and even pilates could be on the timetable – while its sixth form aims to produce hundreds of Oxbridge undergraduates.

Mr Roden said the school, which will have more than 1,150 pupils when, it reaches full capacity in five years time, plans to "stand out from the crowd".

It will include longer school days, university-style clubs and societies, opportunities to learn chess, golf and archery.

"We've had a phenomenal public response," said Mr Roden, the former head at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in Kings Heath - one of the UK's top selective state grammars.

"I've even heard of cases where parents have moved house so they can increase the chances of their children getting into the school, while house prices in the vicinity of have also reportedly increased."

The school, which sits on the corner of Weoley Park Road and Bristol Road, has already agreed its admissions process - with 75 pupils living in homes surrounding the school set to be offered places, and special needs and children in care getting top preference.

The size of the catchment area - described by the school as a "node" - is yet an unknown.

"As this is the first intake of pupils we have no idea how wide or narrow the node will be," said Mr Roden.

"I have parents asking if it's worth putting the school as first choice but it is very much like Willy Wonka's golden ticket - if you don't put your name down for it you won't get it."

The rest of the year seven intake will consist of 75 pupils living near Hall Green, Small Heath and the Jewellery Quarter train stations.

"These are some of the city's fastest growing and most deprived areas, where there is a real need for secondary school places," said Mr Roden.

The University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham

But for those vying for one of the school's 200 sixth form places, they will have to prove to be the crème de la crème.

The school's strict selection criteria will see spaces only for academic high-flyers - with all applicants having to have five GCSEs grade B or above, at least a C grade in English and maths, and a minimum A grade in the subject they wish to study at A level.

And, with the school having an A level curriculum designed to help its students have a better chance of securing places at top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and, of course, the University of Birmingham – it is promising teenagers a bright future.

Mr Roden said: "We will be encouraging students to each study at least one core A level subject such as chemistry, physics, maths or English literature - subjects we know that are well regarded by the best universities."

However, he insisted it was not all about academic success, with plans afoot to help pupils into apprenticeships.

"There are 38,000 businesses that have links to the university and the possibilities we have working with them for our pupils is immense," he added.

Mr Roden said lessons he had learnt within the independent sector would be applied to his new role – including introducing a 'house system'.

"The idea of a house system comes from grammar schools but they are all about developing a sense of community, friendly competition, teamwork and leadership," he added. "We are not posh or elitist, we are a school for everyone.

"It's about giving the pupils the best possible opportunities, no matter what their background.

"From my own personal experience, I know what quality education from a comprehensive school can achieve as I have been there.

"My dad worked in the steelworks but lost his job when he was injured so we lived on benefits in a council house.

"I'm thankful to my parents for wanting a better life for me and to the fantastic teachers I had."

And he plans to produce "well -rounded" children, with the school set to be the first to lead the way in ‘character education' – a philosophy researched by the University of Birmingham's Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues.

"It's about teaching moral virtues, compassion, honesty, empathy, which are all really important," he said. "Growing up isn't easy, it's about giving them skills to deal with whatever life throws at them."

And, while many free schools have come under fire for hiring unqualified teachers, Mr Roden has revealed he will employ 15 experienced "subject leaders" - with the figure set to grow as pupil numbers rise.

He said: "They will all have at least four to six years experience. Parents can rest assured that they will be very well experienced."