AN independent school in the North-East will soon announce the date of the official opening of its new sixth form.

Teesside High School, at Eaglescliffe, opened the doors to the bespoke, two-storey building this month.

It is located on the school site with views over the school grounds and the River Tees and been designed to meet the growing demand for sixth form places across the Tees Valley and beyond.

The building contains common areas, quiet work spaces, classrooms and conference facilities. It has been designed with the transition from school to university in mind.

The Sixth Form Centre is the latest of recent development projects at Teesside High School, which has included the introduction of all-weather pitches, a new prep playground; the introduction of iPads into classes and the launch of the Forest School.

Head Teacher, Deborah Duncan, said This is really exciting time for our sixth form and the school. With guaranteed small class sizes, expert teaching, new technologies and state-of-the-art sixth form facilities we are offering a fantastic ixth form experience.

As part of its Eco-School commitment, the new sixth form centre has been constructed with energy efficiency in mind.

PV panels on the roof will provide clean, renewable energy, converting sunlight into power The insulation of the building will exceed current Building Regulation requirements and the European redwood cladding is sourced from sustainable, managed forests We are hoping to be able to announce the date of our official opening ceremony shortly, including an exciting celebrity to do the honours, said Mrs Duncan.