Olympic Park pavilion reopens as sixth form centre

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today welcomed the positive impact that London's Olympic and Paralympic Games continue to have on the capital.

During a visit to formally open the new sixth form building at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, the Mayor saw at first-hand how building and structures that were used during the Games have been transformed for the ongoing benefit of Londoners.

The new sixth form centre was originally built as the BMW Group Pavilion during the Games. It was then acquired by London Borough of Bexley for £1, taking forward one of the legacy aims of London 2012 to reuse as much of the infrastructure as possible, in situ at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, or elsewhere in the capital. It has now been transformed for use by Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and pupils from Marlborough School, which caters for students with severe, complex and physical learning difficulties.

The building has been designed to allow the students from both schools to share learning and leisure space and enable the unique collaboration between the students from both schools to continue. It includes a sixth form study base for both schools, new classrooms and an ICT suite, purpose built classrooms for students with additional needs, hygiene rooms and auxiliary space for staff.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'This new sixth form centre is a fantastic example of the legacy that hosting the London 2012 Games has produced through the redeployment of structures and fittings from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It will offer greatly improved conditions for the students to get down to their all-important studying and I am impressed by how the new building supports the pioneering integration of activities between Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar and Marlborough schools.'

Nigel Walker, Head teacher, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, said: 'I am delighted to see Boris Johnson open the new Legacy Sixth Form Building at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. The BMW Pavilion at the 2012 Olympics has become an outstanding modern facility shared by a grammar school and a school for students with moderate and severe learning difficulties. It has taken three years but what has been created is a building to be proud of, one that cements a unique partnership between two schools and is a true legacy of the London 2012 Games.'

Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr John Fuller said: ‘I am really pleased that this new building not only sees the 2012 legacy continue in the borough, but also that it will be used to further strengthen links between Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and Marlborough School. This is really positive for all the students and in particular our Marlborough students who will benefit from this great new facility. I’m delighted that by working together we were able to help make this happen.’

As well as Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, other facilities and materials from the 2012 Games that have been reused include 11,000 seats from the London Aquatics Centre being distributed to grassroots clubs; 3,000 seats from the Basketball Arena have gone to the Lee valley Hockey and Tennis Centre; electricity boxes and timber have been reused by Frontside Gardens skate park in Hackney Wick; seating and structural materials were given to Cre8 Lifestyle Centre in Hackney Wick; and the colourful matting from the Central Park Bridge was reused at Holy Family Primary School in Omagh. Dozens of other community groups and schools across the UK have also benefited from the ongoing asset reuse project run by LLDC.