PRESSURE on secondary school places in Thanet has been eased with the opening of a

£6.7 million expansion at the Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs.

Kent County Council leader Paul Carter, who supported the project as cabinet member for education, unveiled a commemorative plaque on the site in Broadstairs Road where the sports centre has been named after him.

He said: “The completion of this impressive project means the school can now offer an additional 300 places.

There is a need for additional secondary places in Thanet and this new expansion has gone some way to address that. The school has an excellent reputation and these new works will certainly further that good name.”

The scheme represents one of the county council’s biggest investments in one school for many years, and is a fitting way to celebrate 50 successful years since Charles Dickens was first opened in 1955.

It includes five new core centres: Maths and Information Communication Technology Suite; a multi-purpose sports hall and gym incorporating the existing heated indoor pool with ultra modern changing facilities for indoor and outdoor sports users; the Art, Design and Photography centre; a Performing Arts suite that features two music rooms, six rehearsal studios, drama, dance and recording studios; and a high-tech latest specification Technology Centre that features two food technology rooms and kitchens, textiles and graphics areas, plus the cutting edge Scantek pneumatics and robotics suite.

The school has also invested heavily in ensuring it has the best learning resources available, including fully integrated and networked computer systems that run broadband internet – there is a staggering 27km of ICT infrastructure cabling.

Head teacher Andrew Olsson believes Charles Dickens School has an exciting future and is now “pioneering educational development and learning with fabulous resources.”

He said: “The school is now at the cutting edge to meet the challenge of 21st education. It has resources to become a centre of learning excellence that is long overdue in this area.

“Kent County Council has shown faith in what Ofsted praised as a good quality school and this is mirrored in the expansion scheme.

“I particularly want to thank Cllr Paul Carter for his commitment. He has been a driving force behind the project and it is a fitting that we are naming the sports complex The Carter Centre in his honour.”