Centre Of Excellence

Our lives change at a dizzying pace with the development of new technology, politics, finance and so on.

Developments in education also progress at a rapid pace. This came home to us at T&L when we visited the opening of Putney High School’s new Sixth Form Centre, which appears to have more in common with a university than a sixth form college. Here we give a student at the centre, Abby Buck, the chance to describe it in her own words.

‘When we heard that Putney was going to build a new state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre, no one quite anticipated just how fantastic it was going to be. Being a member of Sixth Form Consulting, I personally had some insight into what was to be expected. But even for me it was absolutely astonishing how impressive our new centre was.

‘The three floors consist of new seminar rooms, an internet café, fully-staffed diner, fitness suite, roof terrace and, of course, the all-important sixth form common room, or lounge. Walking around, it was both strange and wonderful to see what myself and a team of other sixth formers had helped to design. We had been given a say in every detail, from the colour of the statement wall in each seminar room to the shape and size of the tiles in the bathroom. The early Friday morning wake-ups, to meet for the consulting group all seemed worth it now and I feel huge pride in having been involved - along with Ms Longstaff, our Head of Sixth Form - in designing such a unique and amazing building.

‘Life in sixth form now has a new face, and for old girls I can imagine it would be almost unrecognisable. The building has a feeling of independence and maturity; it is more like a college than a school. When designing the centre, we all agreed we wanted it to be like nothing anyone else had created before. If we liked a design feature from another school, we would take it but make it better.

‘The reason the centre has been so successful is because it has created an atmosphere where the building does not seem like an institution. There is an inevitable work ethic. But with our lounge, diner and terrace taking up the top floor, there is a clear separation between work and break. Both are made enjoyable through our surroundings.

‘When I tell friends about our new centre, a combination of jealousy and disbelief are the two emotions I normally face. I’ve come to think that if I can make friends jealous of the time I spend at school, then surely we must have created something pretty incredible! I suppose the best thing about sixth form is the new relationship you enter with the school, which comes from the freedom and independence which a sixth form centre gives us.

‘For the first time in my school career I’m studying four subjects which I love. Lessons have become discussions, where we can learn and discuss with our classmates and teachers what we have personally discovered through our own independent studies. A levels are an opportunity to learn and question the subjects you care about.’