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All go for Okehampton College’s new Post-16 Centre
Last September, Okehampton College Post-16 moved into their new home at ‘Wardhayes’, after many months of planning and refurbishment of the former care home.
The vast building has received a significant makeover and now comprises modern teaching rooms, ICT suits, a large café, student social areas, study rooms and garden space. It also accommodates office space for the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust management and administrative teams.
Neil Sproats, who is Assistant Principal and Post-16 Leader, said: ‘We were delighted to finally get the keys from the contractors for Wardhayes just before the summer holidays which gave us six weeks to get it shipshape before the students arrived in September.
‘We are all very happy with the refurbishment and it gives the students and staff a modern facility for study and work. This new chapter for Okehampton College Post-16 will be an important factor in attracting more students to study with us after Year 11 and will benefit all the younger years who are our sixth-formers of the future.’
Jennie Turnbull, who is Head Girl at the college, added: ‘Our year feel very privileged to be the first group to use Wardhayes. Although we will only have one year in the building before we leave it has really transformed our day to day experience. I feel we have a grown-up space which is the perfect link between school and university.’
There are plans to develop the building further with the current empty spaces being converted into self-contained additional teaching rooms. These will support some of the college’s younger pupils who need to work in a slightly different environment in smaller groups. In addition, the college has just placed an order for outdoor furniture so that the gardens can be developed in time for the improved weather (hopefully!) in the spring.
The college would like to thank Okehampton United Charities and the Holditch Fund for their generosity in contributing towards the development of the Wardhayes Campus.
This is a major investment in the young people of the area and it will act as a positive learning environment for decades to come.