College celebrates new era as multi million pound building opens

SIR John Deane’s College students are beginning lessons in a new multi-million pound building today.

Around 1,300 students returned to College on Tuesday, February 23 to enjoy studying in a stunning new College – which has dramatically transformed the entire campus in Monarch Drive, Northwich.

Andrew Jones, Principal of Sir John Deane’s College, welcomed students and staff on Tuesday morning.

He said: “This is an extremely proud day in the long history of Sir John Deane’s College. Our beautiful new building is a fantastic asset and our students can now enjoy working in state-of-the-art facilities which are the very best available.

“It is a joy to see the smiling faces around College this morning as students and staff have the pleasure of settling into their new surroundings.”

Sir John Deane’s College is already known for its high academic standards – including an ‘Outstanding’ OFSTED inspection and Beacon College status.

The new building represents Phase One of a two-phase redevelopment project.

Phase One has involved demolishing the existing Sports Dome and temporary classrooms and replacing them with a state-of-the-art main College building which includes a dramatic new entrance, an integrated Learning Resource Centre (including Library, Careers Centre and drop-in IT facilities) and classrooms for Science, Maths, English, Business Studies, Law, IT and Computing.

T he redevelopment has been undertaken by construction firm ISG and involved more than 166,400 man hours to complete.

Over 2,000 pieces of steel, weighing 420 tonnes, were used to create the building which includes a striking central ‘street’ space with a glass ceiling which floods the College with daylight.

Craig Tatton, ISG’s managing director, commented: “As we hand over the first phase of development at Sir John Deane’s College, the stunning visual impact and overall quality of the new building represents an outstanding example of collaborative working between the client and project team. Innovative thinking punctuates the entire project, from the very design of the building, right through to the series of workshops that ISG organised to derive greater understanding, share knowledge and identify potential issues as early as possible. The scheme is a beacon for a smarter way of delivering high calibre FE facilities and I look forward to the second phase with similarly high expectations.”

Former SJD student Harry Hoodless, from Architects Broadway Malyan, has created a building that has been meticulously designed to ensure an outstanding learning environment.

The building also incorporates some of the highest standards of eco-technology to meet environmental and sustainability standards. These features include using ‘smart lighting’; high levels of insulation to minimise energy use; and renewable energy sources such as a biomass boiler.

Andy Sumner, Deputy Principal of SJD who has special responsibility for the project, said: “The new building will safeguard the College’s future as a centre of excellence for the many thousands of students who will study at SJD in the years to come.

“I would like to thank ISG for their professionalism, and also our neighbours for their continued support during the construction work.”

The community as a whole will also benefit thanks to the College’s comprehensive adult education programme currently running. The Adult Education Department is now enrolling people for the next run of courses which begin at Easter – many being held in the new building.

Phase Two of the redevelopment will begin almost immediately and is due to take a year to complete.

Phase Two will include a new cafeteria and kitchens, refurbishing the original Main Hall and rooms, and new teaching accommodation for Art and Design, Design Technology, Textiles, Sociology, Health and Social Care, Modern Languages, Psychology, Music, Performing Arts, Dance, Film and Media.

Sir John Deane’s College, in Monarch Drive, Northwich, is a Sixth Form College that takes students from across Cheshire. It has achieved Beacon Status and is one of the UK’s leading Sixth Form centres – consistently in the top 10 of results league tables.

The College has enjoyed a fine reputation for high quality education and strong academic standards across many generations of local people and takes students from a mix of Partner High Schools, as well as students from other high schools and independent schools across Cheshire and Warrington.

Photo caption: Celebrating the beginning of a new era at Sir John Deane’s College. Principal Andrew Jones, SJD Deputy Principals Andy Sumner and Louise Tipping with Fraser Tanner, Project Manager from construction company ISG.