MP to officially open new sixth form centre at Portishead school
North Somerset MP Liam Fox is to officially open the new £2.2 million sixth form centre at Gordano School on Wednesday, September 26.
Dr Fox will perform the ceremony at the Portishead school at 3pm.
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Head teacher Gary Lewis outside the new sixth form centre at Gordano School
The Scottish-born MP was educated at St Bride's High School in the late 1970s-80s when it was one of the largest state comprehensives in Europe before going on to read medicine at the University of Glasgow.
Previous head teacher Bob Somers, North Somerset Council director of children and young people's services, district councillors Jeremy Blatchford and John Clark, representatives of the school governors and contractors Willmott Dixon are among the other invited dignitaries.
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The new sixth form block is called the Learning Curve and caters for 460 sixth form students.
It funded by a £2 million grant from the Young People's Learning Agency Demographic Growth Fund.
Gordano, which converted to academy in July 2011 and has 1,884 students on roll, was one of a number of schools to secure a slice of £30 million to improve its post 16 education capacity.
A further £200,000 was earmarked by the school towards the costs of fitting out the building.
The centre has a lecture hall with retractable seating which is also used a drama studio and dance suite for younger students.
It has also become a rehearsal and performance space for the school's orchestra which has grown too big to practice in the music classrooms.
On the ground floor there is also office space and a sixth form study centre which is fitted with learning booths so students can work without being disturbed.
The study centre has computer ports for Mac, PCs and laptops and space for students to work and talk.
On the first floor there are four large classrooms with interactive whiteboards and seating described as 'learning pods.'
The old sixth form building, which has four classrooms and an IT room on the first floor, houses a common room and social space with a Costa coffee bar.
Previously students needing private study space were forced to use the common room and the library.
A corridor within the sixth form block has also been converted to provide additional learning space.
The sixth form is headed up this year by Jeanne Fairs who joined Gordano from Clevedon Community School.
Gordano School head teacher Gary Lewis said: "The bigger classrooms were designed to help us future proof the building and we have been careful to design and build a centre which can be flexible.
"We spent a lot of time to ensure the building looks good and I am sure it will be an asset to Portishead.
"Although Gordano converted to an academy last year we have continued to work closely with North Somerset Council on the project.
"I am so pleased that we now have a building which does what we need it to do
"We have always felt very proud of our sixth form and its achievements, but not the building we do it in.
"I feel great pride that the students, staff and local community have the building they truly deserve."
Comments
by lindatag
Friday, September 21 2012, 5:00PM
“Nothing changes on here then. Criticise a tory and the tory bully boys, usually walters/pasley and small band of cronies start to downrate your cimmnets. No balls to leave a comment just press that old red button. Nice to see people with common sense have been hitting the green ones today, after all Liam fox has been ripping us all off eevn the tory voters”
by sarahmac
Friday, September 21 2012, 9:21AM
“These forums baffle me, all these downgraded comments and yet nothing written to oppose what has been said. Its almost as if Conservative supporters come on here just to downgrade anti-tory views. I wish they would remember they are a minority party represnting a very minority coalition government as they could not muster the support to govern alone. I believe that a man who has constantly been at the centre of expenses scandals, has had to resign from his post for dubious behaviour and whose local party have been responsible for the most scathing cuts to youth services is not the man to open a new school building. The only message sent by red downgrading arrows is that those who left them support corruption and dishonesty in our society today. I feel sorry for you and no doubt will get some of your arrows.”
by PortisheadAH1
Thursday, September 20 2012, 11:40PM
“Oh dear, my fear expressed on a previous Gordano story that Conservative politicians would play heavily in this opening ceremony has come to fruition. So we have Liam Fox and Cllr Jeremy Blatchford, NSC Executive Member for Children and Young People. Will anyone ask Liam Fox why, during all the Gordano building work, the Coast Ward councillor said he was in discussion with a developer regarding a skatepark site but (and to quote that councillor), "The offer to pay for and build a new substantial skatepark is conditional on it being on the school site. As it turned out, NSC said there were no Section 106 monies for a skatepark. Questions as to why the site was "conditional" have never been answered. At the same time, again the Coast ward councillor said on the 14th July 2010, "It would be a kind gesture to perhaps name the skatepark after Graham Silverthorne" who was leaving. So what happened to that idea?
I hope someone asks Cllr Blatchford how he calculated the school places requirement in Portishead. Oh and John Clark is not a district councillor. He is the current Town Council Chairman - Liberal Democrat but as he is in a minority of two within the town council, the Tories are really in charge. A little like Nick Clegg I suppose - no real power and two political parties both blend into one. Alongside those named in this report at the opening will undoubtedly be some of those Portishead Tory councillors who regularly show up when a Post photographer and certain reporter gives them a call.
Having said that, the new Sixth Form is great. Shame the last Gordano Headteacher Graham Silverthorne will not be there but many will be pleased to see Bob Somers joining Gary Lewis.
Well done to all who are apolitical who helped to achieve this new build.”
by artglad
Thursday, September 20 2012, 6:00PM
“Who was responsible for choosing this discredited individual to open this center?”
by liese_stanley
Thursday, September 20 2012, 5:54PM
“I would add, yet again(!), that I remain saddened that he is also the patron of Portishead Youth Club. I have had to explain to my children that how they are expected to behave by adults is not always how some adults behave themselves.”
by jojomojomoto
Thursday, September 20 2012, 5:21PM
“It would be better to ask Jemma cooper the BBC weather girl to open it she does more for the town than he does”
by jojomojomoto
Thursday, September 20 2012, 5:18PM
“Could not have said it better myself”
by sarahmac
Thursday, September 20 2012, 11:11AM
“Not exactly my ideal choice as a role model for the young people. I wonder how much he will be claiming for expenses for his little jaunt from Tickenham to Portishead to open a school building that wasn't even funded by his government?”