This week, our Sixth Form students have been reaping the benefits of the newly renovated Sixth Form Common Room and Chequers Café.

Working in collaboration with Cambridge based architects TMV Architects, these newly refurbished working spaces provide a light, modern hub inspired by current interior trends in the wider world. The team of architects who previously led the cutting-edge iCreate space and the Cople Fields Pavilion projects, have developed functional spaces which have created a calm environment for individual work, collaboration and socialising.    

The Sixth Form Common Room, now known as The Hub, utilises a beautiful muted palette, which offsets with the natural timber and planting. The biophilic design evokes a sense of the beauty of the natural world, creating a calming environment for the students to socialise in.

The Hub has been split into different zones to allow for different methods of learning and socialisation. The theme continues throughout the Chequers Café, where students and staff can enjoy barista blended hot drinks and delicious new menu items.

Mrs Tombs (Deputy Catering Manager) commented: “We are extremely excited about our new look Chequers, we've really worked hard on creating a coffee shop grab and go concept, so the students have a varied range of foods available all throughout the day. My personal favourite part is our traditional barista machine offering high quality freshly ground coffee.”

The Sixth Form Gardens have also been re-landscaped to connect the spaces, offering a peaceful environment for study and lunch.

On Thursday evening, we welcomed our Lower Sixth parents in for their Induction Evening followed by a drink’s reception with staff to celebrate the launch of the new areas. The parents were truly blown away by the new Sixth Form spaces – The Hub and Chequers Café as well as sampling some of the new dishes on the menu. 

Mrs Woolley (Director of Sixth Form) said: “The Sixth Formers are thoroughly enjoying the new dynamic work and socialising space and the convenience of keeping fuelled whilst they work hard with drinks and snacks in Chequers. They have even asked for cleaning materials to keep it looking like new!”

A huge thank you to the following project collaborators – TMV Architects, FormFive, ACS Office Solutions, and Goodrich Consulting LLP.

View photos of the newly renovated spaces here.

View a time-lapse video here.