PUPILS returned after the February half-term break to find their school about 20 per cent bigger than the one they had left a week before.

The new wing, which will be officially opened later in the year, welcomed girls for the first time, having been handed over by Ellenby Construction on Friday 13th February, two months ahead of schedule.

See a picture gallery of the new facilities

The block incorporates a new Sixth Form common room with twice the area of the old facility and a stylish contemporary bistro exclusively for Sixth Formers on the ground floor. The first floor provides six new classrooms, a seminar room and offices for teaching staff. The new building also provided space for an improved nurse’s area, extension of the Drama Studio and the creation of a further classroom and tutorial room within the original school building.
  
The new wing also boasts a system of passive ventilation through roof mounted ‘wind catchers’ and has been built to maximum energy-efficient standards.

The bistro proved an instant and popular hit. Two Sixth Form diners agreed that the bistro was “brilliant, attractive and light” and the self-service counter “inviting” and “really great”.