Burgate School and Sixth Form secures £70,000 grant from Wolfson to improve media studies facilities

A FORDINGBRIDGE school has secured a £70,000 grant to improve media studies facilities for its students.

The hand-out to the Burgate School and Sixth Form came from the Wolfson charitable foundation, to refurbish and extend its existing provision.

Nineteen new Apple Macs will be added to the existing suite, and a second learning space will be repurposed to accommodate 24 Macs for use by the six classes.

Head of media Stephen Hill said: “I am extremely grateful to Wolfson and also to my colleagues who supported the bid.

“This represents a great step forward for the school and it will be an asset for years to come.”

Burgate has taught media studies at GCSE and A-level since the late 1990s. Increased uptake between 2008 and 2019 saw the department move into purpose-built facilities.

Many of the subject’s students have gone on to pursue higher education pathways and careers in the industry.

The refurbishment will include two unrestricted outdoor learning spaces for about 50, created by canopies and bench seating.

These will accommodate outdoor PA systems and audiovisual equipment for public events.

The school said the development would support its ongoing relationship with Fordingbridge’s Regal Cinema, New Forest Film Festival, and in-house creative arts evenings.

Also bringing significant improvements in staff ICT literacy, facilitated by the challenges of lockdown and remote learning, the project will cost around £77,000 in total.