For many years now Bideford College has been arguing the need for a new school to replace our old and outdated exisiting buildings. Our present accomodation covers a wide spectrum of developments from a Red Brick Victorian school to 1970's & 80's buildings. Apart from the development of the Kingsley Art and Science block and the addition of the Fletcher block extension during the mid 1990's, development at the College has been significantly underfunded. However in the Spring term of 2006 we received the exciting news that we would receive funding for a new College, and would be the beneficiary of a Building Schools for the Future Pathfinder scheme worth £31.8million.
Pic: Schools for the future, exemplar design
Funding from Central Government was increased to £31.8 million because the initial figure of £19.8 million was purely indicative based on building a school for 1200 students rather than Bideford College’s 1800. The project has been significantly enhanced by a very generous contribution from Devon County Council.
This will allow the school to be built as an exemplar school to the best and latest design in school buildings.
The news has been enhanced through the College hearing that it is to be a national demonstration facility for both Science and Sustainability and has, additionally, been asked to become a Laboratory for the Future demonstrator.
The College is the only facility in the UK that has been identified to demonstrate all three areas and as such this can only bring high visibility to the project and beyond for the students, academic staff and community.
This will hopefully bring additional funding, as yet unspecified, but more importantly will give a chance for the College to be the forefront of Science & Sustainability for the County and SW Region.
Pic: Science performance lab
The aspiration of the new College will be to be, as close as possible, to being a carbon neutral site using cutting edge environmental and ecological systems to reduce CO2 emissions. Detail is yet to be decided, but this may well include bio-mass boilers burning woodchip rather than gas, additionally solar or wind power may be used, rain-water recycling for all non-drinking usage (toilets etc), maximum use of recycled and recyclable materials in the building project, and a Building Management System (BMS) which will monitor and manage energy usage.
Most excitingly, Sustainability is part of a much longer-term educational vision, which will include the encouragement of cycle to school schemes, a sustainability education centre, college landscaping which encompasses parkland and wildlife promotion, and the development of education programmes, including web-based software, which will benefit the entire educational community.
Community is very much at the heart of the project. The school hopes to build on its established partnerships as a Science College and to enhance it through Partnerships with Local & Regional businesses and groups to provide support across North Devon, with education and sports programmes with, as necessary, ICT support being made available in village communities through our feeder schools, as well as at the school itself.
Pic: Sustainable education centre
It is the school’s vision, in harmony with that of the County and District Councils, that the enhanced facilities at the school will be available, not only during traditional school times, to enhance opportunity for the local community, be that in drama and music, adult or community learning, sport and leisure or, building on the already exciting partnership with the Primary School Feeder Groups through the Year 6/7 information shop website and forum page.
With the redesign of the College we will hopefully be providing far greater Community facilities through expansion of the theatre and cinema, linked closely with our excellent in-house Catering Team, enabling the College to provide the local area with a quality Conference and Function Centre. This will be aligned to extended use high quality sports provision including an All Weather Sports Pitch (Astro-turf), a Fitness Suite and a proposed Dance Studio off the main hall; all of which, subject to curriculum use would hopefully be bookable for Community use. Along side this vision of greater Community access and use the College is currently investigating ways in which we can expand on these areas through local/regional sponsorship of facilities enabling such revenue to expand the facilities.
Pic: New facilities for the Bideford community
With the news that the College was to become a Pathfinder Project we have developed a “Student Voice” group which has met on a regular basis to discuss a variety of issues that directly affect the students. Find out more about it HERE In tandem with the “Student Voice” the Devon County Project Team have been extremely busy delivering briefings to the Staff and receiving feedback from them on how they would hope to see the facility evolve as a structure and how the layout will allow interaction across all academic areas.
An in-house Design Team is currently being established which will consist of a cross section of staff and students who will provide information to and shadow teams, working alongside the main Design Team across the three Demonstration areas and will additional look at areas such as alternative energy, construction, design, ecology, ICT and project management.
The Group will be given real briefs to research and work on with their peers, and will fully inform the decision-making process.
The “Student Voice” and Staff Workshops have already set the tone for defining the vision for the new school, and Bideford College’s Governors and leadership team are committed to listening to the views of all stakeholders, be they students, parents, Governors, school staff, neighbours, potential users, or the wider community.
To ensure your views are registered you can log-on to our new school forum.
Pic: Modern classroom design
Pic: Exemplar modern school design
Building Schools for the Future is not only about new buildings, but about transformational education of the future, not only at the College but across the community and beyond.
We are very excited indeed to be chosen as a pathfinder project and cannot wait for the work to start in earnest. Our current students will always come first though; the chance to have a learning opportunity like this happening on our doorstep is something which we will use to the maximum and their involvement with the design is critical.
We are ever aware of the danger of getting wrapped up in the new school and letting standards slip in the present, and we are absolutely determined that this will not happen. Science, Sustainability and Laboratory demonstration status are the icing on the cake, bringing undoubted National focus onto the project and ultimately a new ethos and culture to the College.
Companies/Individuals who may be interested in taking up a stake in these exciting areas should contact the New College Co-ordinator (mnewby@bideford.devon.sch.uk or call 01237 428136).
Bideford College BREEAM here
