Cumberland Council is pleased to announce that a project funded by over £1 million to renovate St. Edmunds Catholic Church will open after the half-term holidays.
The project means that a dedicated Sixth Form campus for James Rennie School, will be housed at St Edmunds Catholic Church, on Orton Road, Carlisle.
The new Sixth Form facility, is a key milestone, promising to accommodate an increased student body, with James Rennie's number set to rise from 159 to 195 students.
The new facilities at St Edmund’s Church, have been repurposed to cater to the educational needs of young people, ensuring that their requirements are met effectively.
St Edmund’s is scheduled for opening after the October half term holiday, and this project was successfully completed with key partners including Day Cummins as the consultant and Story Contracting Limited as the contractor.
Councillor Elaine Lynch, Cumberland Council’s Executive Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning and Development, said:
“I am delighted that James Rennie’s new Sixth Form will officially open after the upcoming October half term holidays.
“With increasing demand for special school places, the expansions create much needed additional capacity while providing fantastic new facilities which will help young people reaching the end of their time at school develop and prepare for adult life.
“I would like to thank all parties involved and are grateful for their contributions and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future.”
Kris Williams, Eden Academy Trust Regional Director and James Rennie School Executive Head; added:
“James Rennie School and Eden Academy Trust community is hugely excited for our new Sixth Form provision to open as it will provide students with a specialist post-16 site for the first time.
“The investment and partnership with Cumberland Council means we have been able to increase pupil numbers right across the school and support more pupils from our community than ever before.
“St Edmund's will be a place where post-16 students will prepare for transition into adulthood and learn to take their next steps beyond school.”