A NEW era of seamless education for 11 to 18-year-olds has been launched for the first time in a county town.
Northallerton School & Sixth Form College is promising a fresh approach for young people as they maximise their life chances in the town.
Invited dignitaries joined staff and students for the officials unveiling of the school, which will remain central to the Northallerton & Catterick School Federation, that also includes Risedale Sports & Community College, Hipswell.
Support was overwhelming for the proposal that combines the Allertonshire School with Northallerton College.
Federation chairman Rob Barker told guests: “I am incredibly excited about the future. In the past 18 months, since the Allertonshire joined the federation, the governing body simply gelled.
“A single secondary school for Northallerton was the next obvious step, one that was welcomed by senior staff, and a great deal of hard work has gone into bringing this together.”
North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services Peter Dwyer helped students perform the honours by revealing a plaque.
He said: “Education is our greatest liberation and makes the biggest difference to the outcomes of young people in North Yorkshire. We have got to get it right to ensure that young people can access the best provision.
“This is about young people being able to gain qualifications, develop greater personal skills, a sense of their own worth and connections with society.”
He said he felt that some of the greatest challenges in society had at their source individuals who did not feel connected with society. “Education can change that,” he said.
“Changes like this can create an environment where great education and learning can take place. So I am delighted to be at the opening of a new school that is supported by the wider community.”
Every year the federation sees 420 students aged 16 or 18 either enter the sixth form, the labour market or further or higher education, including top universities.
Moves are well under way to forge closer links between students and local businesses and organisations to make the most of potential prospects.
For more information on opportunities at Northallerton School & Sixth Form College visit www.northallertonschool.org.uk.
