The innovative plans for the new high school have been designed around the principles of the Curriculum for Excellence and will form a part of the new £42m campus development.
The ground-breaking project will be joint-funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government.
The high school will include an open, gallery-like entrance that will be used to display the pupils' work and achievements and an auditorium to host talks by staff or visiting speakers. There will also be a number of collaborative research spaces, presentation areas and an 'innovation hub' for teachers and pupils to collaborate and discuss new ideas.
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The approval comes after extensive consultation with school staff, pupils, parents and local residents. The other elements of the new campus, including an increased capacity nursery and improvements to the primary school, are also due to be considered for approval soon.
City Education Leader Cllr Marilyne MacLaren said: "I am absolutely thrilled that this exciting project has finally been given the planning go-ahead.
"The new high school will provide a modern and inspiring environment, with a number of pioneering design features that I think will lead the way for contemporary school buildings throughout Scotland.
"We progressively developed the plans based on feedback we received from the local community to make sure that the new school is of a high quality design and reflects the positive characteristics of the surrounding area."
The new James Gillespie's High School is due to open in 2015.
(GK/DW)
