New Corby Sixth Form campus has been given the go-ahead by planners

How the new Corby Sixth Form campus, run by Bedford College, might look

The first images of how Corby’s new A-level campus will look have been released.

The Corby Sixth Form, which will be run by the group behind Tresham College, is set to open next September. The blueprints were approved by North Northamptonshire Council at the end of September and work is now expected to proceed at speed.

The new college is being funded by a £9.5m grant from the Towns Fund, administered by the Government’s Department for Levelling Up.

Students will need at least five GCSEs at grade four above to gain entry, and financial academic excellence bursaries will be available for the most promising young students.

All the usual subjects will be on offer as well as a huge range of other A-levels including classical civilisation, Spanish, graphic communication and philosophy.

There will be an on-site cafe, a library, computer suites, and there will be a range of personal support on offer to ensure students achieve their potential.

An series of open evening will be held at the Corby Cube from 5pm to 8pm on October 18, November 22, and next year on January 12 and March 7.

The huge concrete building in Corby, that has been mostly empty for several years, will be transformed over the next few months in a state-of-the art sixth form campus

The 4,000 sq ft centre will include a new entrance extension in Market Walk, more than 25 classrooms, state of the art science labs, resource centres and performance areas.

Bedford College Group Vice Principal Georgina Ager said: “Whilst the out of town Tresham College Corby campus is a shining example of what can be achieved through career-orientated learning and apprenticeships, there is a local and growing demand for college-based arts, humanities, science and computing courses currently offered only at our Kettering and Bedford campuses.”

The plans were given the nod by council officers on September 29. A statement submitted to the council by the applicant said: “Chisholm house was built in the 1960’s as part of the development of Corby Town as a post war new town in the 1950s.

"It has a distinctive 1960’s architectural presence and is very much a landmark building in the southern part of the town centre. As with most 1960’s buildings it is not universally loved, but it does represent a strong visual connection with the town’s past; something which has not been reflected in the more recent developments.

There will be a huge range of a-level options on offer

“It is a strong architectural statement and retaining and refurbishing the building is not only good for the environment, but also retains the historical links to the town’s development.”

Fire safety officers, who were consulted about the plans, raised several concerns about evacuation in the case of an emergency, given there is no external staircase from the courtyard area. They recommended a sprinkler system be installed throughout the building.

Anglian Water also said that there was an unacceptable, unaddressed risk of flooding downstream and that the Corby Water Recycling Centre – currently acting at capacity – had no further capacity to treat the flows from the development site. Planners inserted a condition to ensure that a plan for the building’s foul water is submitted before work can commence.

You can learn more about the campus on the sixth form’s new website.