A NORTH East Sixth Form College is expanding to accommodate extra students.

Darlington’s Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College is a popular choice for students and parents due to its good A-Level results.

In a recent planning application, an extension on the existing 1960s building to the East of the site was proposed.

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This project addresses overcrowding issues with the existing students on roll and to provide extra space to facilitate a projected increase in students from 2,096 to 2,329 (total increase of 233 students).

The college’s strong academic performance and reputation makes it an attractive choice for parents and students.

This has led to an increase in student numbers over the last few years. Despite some recent capital investment, the growth in students has become a strain on the college’s estate particularly in respect to teaching space.

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The construction of an additional floor to the existing 1960s building will comprise four new classrooms, two other work areas, circulation spaces, storage, and roof access.

Whilst the subject block was originally constructed in the 1960s, the block was refurbished in 2015 where the cladding panel and windows were upgraded.

The style, colour and size of the windows to the new extension are planned to match the existing ones.

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Glazed stairwells are utilised to afford light into the circulation areas, and it is proposed to incorporate glazed partitions to corridors to allow for natural lighting provision.

Recent agreements between the college and the local authority have been agreed to utilise existing road parking for bus parking at peak times which has alleviated issues at peak demand times.

New internal steel staircases will be installed to the front and rear of the building as a continuation from the existing, which gives access to the vertical fire escape staircases.

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Tim Fisher, Principal at QE Sixth Form, said: “Having successfully secured funding through the Post-16 Capacity Fund, the College now has a great opportunity to invest in our buildings and by doing so give our students the best possible experience.

“We plan to increase the quantity of high-quality teaching spaces and also include additional areas for student support functions.

“Our hope is to complete the project by early 2023.”

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