New Sixth Form Centre for Rainham moves closer.

Plans for a new Sixth Form Centre to provide post-16 educational opportunities for young people in Rainham have taken a major step forward. ISG, the contractor appointed to deliver the new Sixth Form, has submitted a planning application for the new state-of-the-art building to London Borough of Havering Council. 

The new Sixth Form Centre at Harris Academy Rainham is being funded by the Department for Education to meet an identified need for post-16 places in the town. The new Sixth Form will be built next to the school sports hall within the grounds of Harris Academy Rainham, on a site currently occupied by changing rooms and a disused former swimming pool. 

The existing disused and outdated building will be replaced with a modern, purpose-built structure, designed to enhance the local area and improve the appearance of the Wennington Road street frontage with new landscaping and planting schemes.  

The planning application follows a period of online public consultation about the Sixth Form proposals. More than 90% of the members of the public who provided consultation feedback indicated support for the new Harris Rainham Sixth Form. The plans remain available to view on the consultation website, www.harrisrainhamsixthform.com. 

Gareth Stananought, Principal at Harris Academy Rainham said “We have been delighted by the level of public support for the Sixth Form plans. This reflects the acute need for post-16 educational facilities for Rainham’s young people, who for too long have had to travel out of Borough to access further education. The creation of a new Sixth Form Centre represents significant investment in post-16 education in Rainham, providing state-of-the-art learning facilities to enhance the life chances for young people in our town.”

An important element of the new Sixth Form is the promotion of sustainable travel. Intended to meet an acute need for post-16 places in Rainham, it is anticipated that students will be traveling to the Sixth Form from the local area, with the majority coming up from Harris Academy Rainham. The Travel Plan for the Sixth Form will prohibit students from travelling to the Sixth Form in their own cars, with pedestrian and cycle access only via pedestrian gates from Lambs Lane South and Wennington Road. Drop-off and pick-up of students on Wennington Road will also be prohibited with the implementation of waiting restrictions. 

James Hole, Senior Design Manager at ISG added “We arevery grateful to everyone who took part in our pre-application consultation. This has helped us to refine our plans to reflect local feedback. For example, we have now incorporated pedestrian and cycle access to the Sixth Form for students from Lambs Lane South, through the existing Harris Academy. We have also worked with the local Highways Authority to propose measures to improve the existing situation on Wennington Road. This collaborative process has delivered a final design creating state-of the-art educational facilities for young people in Rainham and a multi-generational skills and learning legacy that we can all be proud of.”

The planning application will now be determined by planners at London Borough of Havering Council. If the plans areapproved, it is hoped that the new centre will be completed in the Autumn of 2022.