BBC Presenter Harry Gration opens Selby High School’s State-of-the-Art Computer Technology Centre

Selby High School’s £560k state-of-the-art Computer Technology Centre has been officially opened by the BBC Presenter Harry Gration MBE.  The ‘opening ceremony’ was attended by governors, staff and local dignitaries.  Representative from the local companies involved in the build also attended. 

The £560,000 development now provides the students at Selby High School with access to the latest in ICT equipment.  The new Computer Technology Centre is named “The Hemingway Suite” in recognition of the school’s long serving ICT Manager, Malcolm Hemingway, who has contributed so much to the school becoming a respected centre of excellence for computer technology, both locally and nationally.

The suite was built in three phases to allow the school to continue to operate with the minimum of disruption to learning.  It is situated above where the ICT classrooms were originally located, which have now been refurbished and restyled as English teaching classrooms.  The main building phase took place from July 2013 to January 2014.  The building itself has significant energy saving characteristics, which have been partially funded by a NPower ‘Climate Cops’ £20,000 prize which students won in 2009 and which the school allocated for this project in the initial development stages.   Kerry Longley, Commercial Director said “It is wonderful to see this money being used as intended, i.e. to promote sustainable energy initiatives to our young people.  It is so important, particularly in such austere times, that we are all aware of the part we play in saving energy and reducing carbon emissions to in turn produce a much greener footprint”.

The new space contains over 100 computers in a completely self-contained, large open plan office environment, with Wi-Fi access and a fantastic remote controlled audio visual system, which delivers sound and vision across seven large LCD/LED screens to support students with their learning.

Stuart Lewis, Deputy Headteacher, said “The design and planning process has been really exciting for all those involved and a fantastic opportunity to develop a learning space which will have such a fundamental part to play in the education of young people for many years to come.  I am confident we have developed a motivating and stimulating space for everyone to work and learn and which will support the ever changing face of education and it’s curriculum for years to come”. 

Paul Eckersley was quoted as saying “Everyone connected with the school is delighted to see this fantastic new development in Selby.  It has been wonderful this week to see the delight on students’ faces when they enter the Hemingway Suite.  I know that a resource such as this, will make a significant contribution in helping teachers deliver outstanding learning opportunities for our students.  I am sure that Computer Technology, which already has outstanding examination results, will continue to excel.”