WORK has started on a new sixth form college that will offer the best opportunities for youngsters.

Construction vehicles have moved into Commonweal School in Old Town to start building work on the new state-of-the-art college.

As well as the college, which is due to open next September, a sports hall and car park are also being built.

With planning permission approved, interest from teenagers and their families has been high.

James Matcham, the head of sixth form, says he is pleased with the progress being made and everything is on track for the opening.

He said: “We’re all very happy with everything and it’s nice that after so much planning we can now see something tangible happening.

“Everything is going to plan and we have been very encouraged by the amount of applications we have had from all over Swindon.

“While many of the pupils will move straight from Commonweal, there will be places from outside and applications have come in from lots of schools in Swindon.

“It is good to see people are aware of what we are doing and trying to achieve.”

The sixth form building will be three storeys with places for 300 students when full. There will also be a sports hall, outdoor sports facilities and the car park will be relocated and expanded to 80 spaces.

In total, the overall floor space of the sixth form building will be 2,122 metres squared with learning areas, a performance hall and a cafe while the sports hall will cover two tennis courts and changing rooms.

“The majority of the building is being built in Northern Ireland and moved across here so the building will go up quite quickly,” said James.

“We are now working on putting together a high-quality curriculum ready for September.

“On March 7 we are holding trial classes where students will be able to get a feel for how the lessons will work.”

Work on the site is expected to last until next summer and while a certain level of disruption is expected, it will be kept to a minimum.

James said: “I want to thank residents for all the support and understanding over the past few months.

“Commonweal is in a residential area so their cooperation is very important but we will do everything we can to make sure they are affected as little as possible.”

The deadline for applications is December 6 and more information can be found by visiting www.commonwealsixth.co.uk