Young people interested in studying at the LIPA Sixth Form College, which opens in September 2016, are invited to attend one of a series of three open events in the next three months. The College will be one of a handful of Further Education providers in England to focus specifically on the creative and performing arts.
The drop-in open events are aimed at current Year 11 students and their parents/guardians. They will be held at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) on Mount Street, Liverpool on Monday 23 November between 5pm and 7.30pm, Tuesday 15 December between 5pm and 7.30pm and Sunday 10 January between 11am and 2.30pm.
LIPA Sixth Form College is a new Free School for 16-18 year olds, funded by the Department for Education. It will be offering BTEC courses in Acting, Dance, Music Performance, Music Technology, Production Arts: Design and Production Arts: Technical. The open events will provide information on all of the courses available for study, the planned facilities and admissions process. Each event is hosted by LIPA Sixth Form College’s Director of Sixth Form, Charles Bartholomew and Mark Featherstone-Witty, LIPA’s Founding Principal/CEO.
Charles Bartholomew, who was previously Assistant Director at Stoke on Trent College (where he was responsible for Performing Arts, Music and Media), said “I am delighted to have joined LIPA’s latest development at such an exciting time, and am looking forward to working with the region’s talented young people to develop their skills and abilities through LIPA Sixth Form College.”
A £5.3 million renovation project is shortly to commence to refurbish and equip LIPA Sixth Form College which will be based next door to the LIPA buildings. Facilities will include a studio theatre, a recording studio, music technology suites, dance and drama studios, music rehearsal rooms and a scenic design and construction workshop.
Mark Featherstone-Witty added: “Our Sixth Form College will enable younger people to experience what we provide for undergraduates. Aside from this, sixth form students will be on our main site and so be able to witness first-hand the standard that needs to be achieved to reach the next level.”
Although the events are drop-in events, visitors are asked to book places beforehand by completing an online booking form at www.lipasixthformcollege.org or by calling 0151 330 3232. Each of the events is aimed at prospective students currently in Year 11 and sitting their GCSE exams in spring 2016 and their parents/guardians.
