Sixth Form Centre will Boost North Manchester Community

Construction is now complete on the UK’s newest vocational centre.

Designed by Cassidy and Ashton architects, the £5.2million St Monica’s Sixth Form Centre, Prestwich, is one of just a handful of vocational centres which were funded through the Learning & Skills Council in recent years.

The 250-place centre for 16-19-year-olds, in the grounds of St Monica’s Roman Catholic High School, Bury Old Road, offers first class facilities for vocational training in hospitality and catering, hair and beauty, theatre arts (production and performance), digital imaging, art and design, business studies and fitness studies.

Features include a professional kitchen and restaurant, hair salon and nail studio, gym with fitness equipment, full-size theatre with sprung-floor dance area and an ‘apartment’ with kitchen and bedroom for students to learn hospitality and independent living skills.

Architect and associate director at Cassidy and Ashton, Lawrence McBurney, explained that the 2,450 m sq building was designed to encourage students to continue their studies and to provide a professional environment to prepare them for the workplace.

“The sixth form centre is set away from the main school building to give students a sense of independence and all the facilities are of the standard that would be found in a professional place of business,” he said.

“All spaces are designed to be completely flexible to enable the sixth form to be used to its maximum potential and to allow for changing teaching methods which evolve over time. Consideration was also given to how the building could be used by the local community. For example, the restaurant can be opened to the public via a separate entrance and the theatre can be hired out for shows or conferences to generate income for the school.”

The two-storey building has a BREEAM Very Good rating. It is fully wireless and is designed to be free from corridors, with learning spaces radiating from a central common space. Construction took 13 months.

Cassidy and Ashton has 50 years’ experience delivering projects in the education sector and also designed Our Lady and St John Catholic College Vocational Centre, Blackburn, which opened in 2009.