Facilities

Over the last three years the school has undergone a huge refurbishment programme, providing additional science laboratories, a Food Technology/Catering Suite and spacious art rooms. The original Grammar School building has been extensively refurbished to provide light and airy classrooms and ICT suites, and forms the schools Business, Enterprise and ICT Centre.

Our Learning Support Centre, at the heart of the main school building, is an area where students can work and study individually, both in and out of lesson time. The newly refurbished Resource Centre is a well-stocked library with computer cataloguing, CD-ROM and Internet facilities, and a suite of PCs. There are a further four computer suites, each with interactive white boards, together with PCs in many classrooms. All are linked to the main school network, and allow students access to all resources and to their own individual computer user space on the network server.

The Raising Achievement Department provides specialist teaching in small groups for those students who would benefit from additional support. A ramped corridor runs through the main building, and the RAD department has impressive facilities for students with special areas of need, with full regard for the Code of Practice. Lifts have been installed in each of the main buildings, several classrooms have acoustic panels installed and there is a loop system in one of the meeting rooms. The school prides itself on its inclusive education.

The Sports Hall provides space for four badminton courts or a tennis court, has netting for indoor cricket practice, a climbing wall and full provision for basketball and other indoor sports.

Outside there are excellent outdoor games pitches and hard surfaces for netball, tennis and basketball. We have two floodlit all-weather playing surfaces, a dedicated tennis area and an all-weather cricket wicket with practice nets. A newly installed Technogym is a state-of-the-art Fitness Laboratory where students may develop their own personal exercise programmes. These programmes can be logged and recorded through a data capture IT system, which will have cross-curricular uses.

The Chapel Arts Centre provides a focus for theatre, arts and music education. Additional accommodation for music and drama is included in the building programme.