Yesterday, Wyke Sixth Form College was named as a post-16 provider to share a £83 million capacity fund to build facilities to accommodate a demographic spike in 16 to 19-year-olds. With the £3.6M allocation Wyke is planning to build additional classrooms, new student social spaces and a large careers hub. This financial award recognises the growing demand for places at Wyke. With a strong reputation for academic excellence, the College has doubled its student in-take to 2150 level three places over the last decade. The planned extension of the campus will allow Wyke to meet the pressure on places at the College. Principal Paul Britton announced the good news at a staff briefing. “We have been awarded a £3.6M investment into the College that will allow us to double the size of our canteen, house seven new specialist classrooms, and have a wonderful dedicated pastoral space including a new careers hub in the atrium. This means we can continue to meet the needs of students from the local area over the next 3-5 years. It’s super news, it’s going to be hard work, but that’s very exciting.” The Sixth Form Colleges Association estimates there will be 260,000 additional 16- to 19-year-olds that will participate in education in the coming years. According to the Department for Education, the fund will also support the government’s drive to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with all successful colleges and sixth forms required to show how their projects will contribute to the target. Skills minister Alex Burghart said: “Every young person should have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to reach their goals and go on to have successful careers. This investment will boost capacity so we can make sure there is a place for every 16 to 19-year-old, giving them access to the high-quality learning facilities they need to succeed.”
