Hundreds look forward to new sixth form college

Rochdale Sixth Form College at night (computer generated impression

More than 260 people from across the borough of Rochdale gathered to hear more about the new sixth form college which will open to students in September 2010.

A special event held by Rochdale Sixth Form College saw crowds of Year 11 students and their parents pack a meeting room at the Broadfield Park Hotel to find out what studying A-Levels at the new sixth form college would be like.

As well as hearing from college principal, Julian Appleyard, students and parents were also given presentations by the head of undergraduate recruitment at Manchester University and construction experts responsible for building the new £26 million sixth form college in Rochdale town centre.

Mr Appleyard explained that unlike school sixth form colleges and FE colleges, Rochdale Sixth Form College would focus solely on teaching A and AS Levels to 16 to 18 year olds, and thereby provide a tailored environment to help young people prepare for university.

He said: “The college will be designed to strike a balance between treating 16-year-olds as developing young adults, while recognising that students of this age group still need specialised pastoral support.”

It was a view echoed by Julian Skyrme, head of undergraduate recruitment at The University of Manchester. He explained that sixth form colleges, through their focus on high level academic achievement and excellent support for students, were very successful at preparing young people for university, and for succeeding once there.

Mr Skyrme also outlined how the University of Manchester would be working closely with Rochdale Sixth Form College when open, and how programmes are now available to many students to assist them in getting to the top universities.

The event also gave construction experts from AA Projects, Seven Architects and Bardsley Construction, who are working on the creation of the new college, the opportunity to tell people about the college’s design, and the construction process in the run up to college’s opening in September 2010.

Mr Appleyard said: “We were absolutely thrilled with the level of interest we saw from students and parents at the event.Unlike an open day, we wanted to use the event to help people to look forward; not just to the completion of the college building, but to the style of the teaching environment and the assistance it will give students in helping them in their onward journey to university and in their future careers.”

Rochdale Sixth Form College will open its doors in September 2010. The college building was designed by award-winning architects, Seven, and is located on College Road, Rochdale.