A school’s new sixth form centre has been officially opened as part of a £5 million refurbishment and relocation project.

Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage, and Cllr Chris Hayward, deputy leader of Hertfordshire County Council, have officially opened the purpose-built centre at Barnwell School in Stevenage.

Barnwell is nearing the completion of a £5m two-year campus refurbishment and relocation project, and in September Barnwell Upper School will move from its current location in Collenswood Road – formerly Collenswood School – back to the original Barnwell site.

As part of the project, a new sixth form centre has been constructed to cater for up to 300 students.

It is equipped with the latest IT hardware – including 60 workstations – a library/research area, teaching rooms, meeting rooms and a large social area.

Headteacher Tony Fitzpatrick said: “The centre has been something the school has desired for many years, so we are delighted that finally our students have outstanding resources and accommodation when they enter the sixth form.

“It is an area of the school that has grown quickly over the last two years and we are pleased our results continue to rise. These facilities will enable us to continue our journey to being an outstanding school.”

Mr McPartland added: “It was a pleasure to officially open the new sixth form centre at Barnwell School and meet some of the students who will be using the facility.

“It looks absolutely fantastic and the staff have done a great job in delivering this project for the students.

“I am sure there will be a huge surge in applications for sixth form as more students see the outstanding facilities on offer, as we continue investing in educating our children to give them the best possible start in life.”