Hills Road Sixth Form College has received almost £1.5 million to improve its facilities.

A new three-storey building, which is planned for completion in spring 2016, will replace the out-dated huts, otherwise known as the ‘stable block’, so named because of the building’s distinctive appearance. It is made of timber planks, with a rendered external skin, has no insulation and has been constantly used for one purpose or another since 1920! (first by the Cambridgeshire High School For Boys and then by Hills Road Sixth Form College). The College has received funding from the Educational Funding Agency’s (EFA) Building Condition Improvement Funding grant.

Chris Hale, formerly a pupil at the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, said, “I recall old boys from previous generations saying that, in their day, there was no central heating in the huts, just solid fuel stoves at the front of the classroom. In the winter, the boys at the back of the class would be shivering with cold while the teacher at the front warmed their backside in front of the stove!”

“My late father, Don Hale, was at the school from 1929-1933, I was here from 1959-1967 and my grandson was at the College from 2012-2014. My grandson has followed in my footsteps and is a committee member of the Old Cantabrigian (alumni) Society”.

Principal, Linda Sinclair, said “We are delighted and grateful to have this opportunity to enhance further the College’s estate.  This fabulous building will provide outstanding teaching and learning facilities for the Mathematics, Performing Arts and Sport departments and will enable us to provide students with more independent study space and social space elsewhere on the College site.”