A long-awaited £1 million improvement scheme for Ilfracombe College will be officially opened next Wednesday.

The project is providing a new, purpose-built kitchen and dining hall for the growing school along with extra classrooms and specialist computer suites.

One of the old kitchens and a classroom have been converted into specialist accomodation for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with two suites each able to accommodate over 30 pupils.

The second kitchen area will be converted this summer to provide additional teaching rooms which will form the focus of the school's Media Centre if its bid for specialist media arts status is successful.

In the past the college has not had a purpose-built dining hall and students had to use classrooms and other spaces. They were often faced with very long queues.

The new hall greatly eases congestion before and after the lunch break and is capable of use for assemblies, dance and drama.

The hall is detached from the main school building and so will be readily available for community use out of school hours.

The hall will be officially opened by the Chairman of Devon County Council, Lt Col Anthony Drake, at 11.30am on Wednesday.

Ilfracombe's new Principal, Colin Eves, said: 'The new dining hall has had a huge and immediate impact on the college.

'It has totally transformed the atmosphere during break and lunchtime and has led to improved attitudes to learning, particularly during the afternoon.

'We have been able to introduce Dance into the PE curriculum and from this September we will be able to increase the amount of drama taught in the college.

'We are also able to use the hall as a venue for after-school events and present ourselves in a much more accomplished way.'

The college currently has 1,353 pupils on roll including 200 in the sixth form.

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