St Leonards-Mayfield Officially Opens New Sixth Form Centre

  • 10 years ago
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Burgess_Hill_Sixth_Form_CentreSt Leonards-Mayfield School on the border of East Sussex and Kent is celebrating after declaring its brand new state-of-the-art sixth form centre officially open. The new facility, which allows sixth formers at the all-girls Catholic school to have their own dedicated learning area and community space, was declared open during a plaque unveiling and blessing on Sunday 17 November by  Apostolic Nuncio, the Most Reverend Antonio Mennini.

The new £900,000 facility is the result of a sympathetic transformation of part of the original school building, which dates from 1310.  Architects have painstakingly restored the Grade 1 listed building, successfully retaining its historic feel and character whilst transporting it to the forefront of modern functional design and technology.

The Sixth Form Centre is situated in the Grade I listed Chapel House, adjacent to the Old Palace – the original school building, which dates back to 1310. Utilising existing space, Chapel House was totally transformed by architects to create the £900,000 facility, which juxtaposes many of the traditional features such as stained glass windows and exposed beams with modern design and technology.

Burgess_Hill_New_Sixth_Form_Centre_2Academic subjects will be brought to life by the multi-touch, multi-technology which has been installed into the Sixth Form Centre’s lecture rooms, digital learning suite, teaching and study rooms. Students will be able to use the touch-screen display boards, iPads, smart televisions and high-speed broadband for independent research to support their studies, while the new internet-enabled lecture room will allow students access to university outreach programmes and guest lecturers. It is a winning combination of cutting edge technology and dedicated seminar and lecture areas which provide the best possible preparation for university.

The Sixth formers also have a fully-equipped common room within the centre, allowing them their own designated space, where they can focus on their studies quietly, whilst still remaining at the heart of the school. As Catriona Franck, Head Girl and year 13 student, commented: “The Sixth Form Centre is testament to how important the Sixth Form is to the school. As studying for AS and A Levels requires such a high level of commitment and focus, it is so valuable that we now have our own designated area without distractions from the main school. However, we are still close enough to remain integrated with the rest of the school and continue to provide support to the younger year groups.”

The school’s Headmistress, Miss Antonia Beary, said: “The Sixth Form Centre is part of a longer term plan to reinforce the value to all students of information communication technology as a tool for independent learning and research, irrespective of whether an individual’s interests lie in science and technology, social sciences, arts, humanities or, like so many Mayfield girls, a combination of all of these.”

Funds to create the sixth form centre were raised partly through the school’s 150th Anniversary Campaign and also from individual donations.

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