A NEW sixth form college could open its doors for its first students next year to meet the demand for education for the over 16s in East London. Morpeth and Oaklands schools in Bethnal Green and Swanlea in Whitechapel are joining together to open the campus at Bethnal Green’s Wessex centre, with the first students starting in September, 2009, if it gets the go-ahead

By Julia Gregory

A NEW sixth form college could open its doors for its first students next year to meet the demand for education for the over 16s in East London.

Morpeth and Oaklands schools in Bethnal Green and Swanlea in Whitechapel are joining together to open the campus at Bethnal Green's Wessex centre, with the first 175 students starting in September, 2009, if it gets the go-ahead.

The new Cambridge Heath Sixth Form is expected eventually to offer places to 350 students aged 16 to 19, funded by the Department of Education.

Pupils and staff at the three schools have been involved in discussions and plans for the new sixthform over the last year. A consultation document has just been published and the plan will be discussed by Tower Hamlets council's cabinet next month. The consultation period runs until the end of the month.

Students are planned to be recruited at the end of the summer term this year to sign up as the first intake of the new sixthform.

The Wessex centre is currently used by council youth services mainly at weekends. It is seen as ideal for the project aimed at solving a shortage of education for youngsters aged 16 to 19 in Tower Hamlets.

Nearly half the pupils from the three schools had to go outside the East End last year to continue their studies.

The new sixthform would offer a curriculum covering business, studies, administration and finance, creative and media, IT, science and maths.