Students at Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove have helped to design a new sixth form centre which could cost up to £3.6 million.

The site would be located within the school grounds, with access to The Upper Drive in Hove.

It would provide space for an additional 150 students to study in the school’s expanding sixth form.

The sixth form college currently has 450 students enrolled and will have 600 students by September 2014.

More space The existing sixth form buildings can only provide space for 300 students.

The school in Hove currently caters for 2,173 students, and the new building would comprise classrooms, a lecture hall, common room and offices in order to accommodate the expansion.

The school has been preparing the plans for the past three years.

They have involved input from Sports England and current Year 10 pupils.

Headteacher James Kilmartin said: “We have worked with pupils in Year 10 because they will be the ones using the centre when it hopefully opens in September 2014.

“It has been great for them to get involved and get their input.

“We are all very excited about this project. We have adapted our plans to ensure the building is not only in keeping with the architecture of the existing school buildings, but also addresses energy efficiency.

“It supports the city’s aim to reduce the carbon footprint by reducing pressure on traffic and does not impact on any green space which is valuable to us all.

“Our sixth form is the most popular and successful in the city.

“This new building will offer much-needed space for more students.”

Victory

The school submitted plans to the council for consideration last week.

The proposals came just weeks after the Government scrapped plans to build a free school on a playing field by Cardinal Newman.

The decision by junior schools minister Lord Nash to abandon proposals to site new buildings for the King’s Church of England Free School on the field in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, was hailed as a “victory”

by the Friends of the Field campaign which opposed the plans and by local politicians.

The field had been selected by the Government’s Education Funding Agency as the best place for the new school, but this was met by fierce opposition, including from local schools including Cardinal Newman and BHASVIC.