New Study Centre opens doors

Hills Road Sixth Form College is proud to announce the opening of a new Study Centre that provides its students with state-of-the-art facilities for learning, support, and independent study. In addition to the university-style study spaces, the new centre also houses the Study Skills department, specially designed to welcome a range of neurodiverse learners with an entire floor designed for low-sensory comfort with quiet space to study.

The modular building, which officially opened on Monday 17 April, is the greenest building on the existing site and features temperature control using a renewable air source heat pump system. It also has both mechanical and natural ventilation and solar photovoltaic panels on the roof together with a living green roof space. The onsite energy generation means that the building contributes to the College’s Climate Pledge and has a much lower carbon footprint than other new-build options.

Construction of the new Study Centre began in July and ran through the winter with contractors leaving the site in March.

The centre features a range of facilities, including silent study areas, restrooms, collaborative workspaces and a modern staff room. Staff at the College will benefit from access to a roof terrace as well as a stylishly appointed staff room space in which to relax or collaborate on work projects with colleagues, enhancing the opportunities for wellbeing breaks within the working day.

Rated Ofsted Outstanding, Hills Road has been one of the top-performing Sixth Form Colleges nationally since performance league tables began over 27 years ago. Every year, the College secures Oxford and Cambridge's highest state school offers, and approximately 93% of Hills students progress to Higher Education. Demand for places at the College is high and rising faster than the demographic increase. With the 16-19-year-old population projected to increase significantly further over the next decade, the three-storey, £3.2m modular build was funded by the government’s Further Education Capacity Building Fund to help the already oversubscribed sixth form college to offer greater, greener capacity to accommodate some of this growth.

The Study Centre is open to all Hills Road students in term time, from Monday to Friday 8.30 am – 5 pm.