The new locally-designed £4m sixth form block at a Kettering' s Southfield School has been described by its deputy head teacher as 'the perfect reflection of our ethos and vision'.
Complete with a 240-seat lecture theatre, the new two-storey building contains 10 classrooms, offices, a bespoke café and a glazed undercroft providing a multi-functional learning/social area for students.
To meet the need for secondary school places in the town and surrounding areas Southfield School accepted an expansion proposal to increase its intake by an extra 240 pupils.
Sywell-based Sursham Tompkins' director Mark Croxen led a design team of BCAL Structural & Civil Engineers, Parsons Associates M&E Consultant and Tompkins Robinson Quantity Surveyors to deliver the project.
He said: "Working in collaboration with the school, a feasibility study was completed and it was decided the best solution for the school was to construct a new 2,000m² sixth form building to re-locate the existing sixth form facilities into a state of the art, purpose-built facility.
"Two old mobile classrooms and a dated study building were removed to make way for a new two-storey building. Despite Covid restrictions and unforeseen site issues the project was delivered on budget, on time and to a standard of design and finish beyond the school's expectations.
"Numerous design elements along with material specification, LED sensor controlled lighting, highly efficient ventilation systems and photovoltaic roof array panels were all employed to meet the school’s requirements for a highly insulated and energy efficient green building.
"Gareth Butcher, deputy headteacher at Southfield School, said: "The new building is a perfect reflection of our ethos and vision for the sixth form and our students. It provides an ideal bridge from school to university and the wider world. The number of students applying to come to our sixth form has increased since the building opened last September.
"Our students are rightly proud of the building and prospective students are quick to see the benefits of joining our sixth form. We have been absolutely delighted with the final build. It is a testament to the professionalism and adaptability shown throughout the project by Sursham Tompkins and partners despite the challenges faced over the last 12 months.”
Sursham Tompkins has also recently been the lead consultant for the £2.6m sports building/ 5G football pitch at Latimer Arts College in Barton Seagrave, and the £3.6m classroom and lecture theatre for Sir Christopher Hatton Academy in Wellingborough.
To meet the need for secondary school places in the town and surrounding areas Southfield School accepted an expansion proposal to increase its intake by an extra 240 pupils.
9. The Sixth Form and teachers use the same cafe
Brew 52 offers a break from studying with areas to relax
