Ambitious plans for Putney High School’s state-of-the-art new Sixth Form Centre are becoming a reality.

We hope the building will be ready to use early in 2012.

This is a significant project for the school and we are delighted that The Girls’ Day School Trust will be providing the bulk of the funding, £5 million.  

The existing sixth form centre has been demolished to make way for the new facility, which will be built to the highest specifications.

The new centre will be a purpose-built, three storey building which we hope will provide a new benchmark for sixth form development.

Our intention is to create outstanding facilities including a cutting edge cyber café and rooftop terrace. A key design element is to provide versatile spaces, ensuring large work areas for arts projects, exhibitions and performances, for example.

Solar roof panels are planned, to ensure the school meets its environmental responsibilities and leads by example. Indeed, the new building has been designed to achieve a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method energy efficiency rating of ‘Very Good’. 

The project represents an exciting new chapter for the school and we are working closely with our whole community to deliver the very best for them. Throughout, we are listening to the thoughts and ideas of staff, parents and most importantly, our girls.

Preliminary work started in May with actual demolition taking place in the summer holidays.

The sixth form is now being housed in ‘The Village’ – comfortable and spacious temporary accommodation sited on the rounders’ pitch.

It offers a kitchen, common room, several sixth form teaching rooms and quiet work space. The accommodation offers full wireless network access, enabling girls greater freedom in their studies. The centre provides no less floor space than girls have at present.

The Sixth Form is the most exciting and possibly the most intensive period of a student’s life and we want our girls to have the finest resources in order to achieve their highest potential.

Girls are at the heart of all we do at Putney. As part of this commitment, we have established Sixthform Consulting, a group which brings together girls from Years 9 to 13 to hear their thoughts and ideas about the project.

Chaired by Mrs Longstaff, Head of Sixth Form, the group is meeting weekly, advising on future plans.

Please be assured that whilst we are excited about our future plans, the best interests of our current students remain paramount.