IPACA opened the doors to its new Maritime House campus and gave the Dorset Echo a look inside as construction work continues.

Director of communities and enterprise, Gary Fooks and project manager Neil Molloy from Wates Construction, the company in charge of the renovation gave us a guided tour as the new campus takes shape.

The new campus hopes to offer revolutionary teaching on the island whilst also offering benefits for the wide community.

Much of the site is in the early stages of renovation but for the team behind the project, it is finally starting to take shape.

Mr Fooks said: “It now does feel real. The best bit about it is seeing the potential come to life, seeing that we are actually going to create something that has never been done before on Portland for learning.”

Large parts of the school are being completely renovated but some areas including parts of what will become the dining area and the theatre are being implemented in to the build.

These areas, alongside others will also double up with a community use.

There are proposals to use the theatre as a community cinema whilst there are also plans to use the dining area as a community cafe.

Mr Fooks said this is all about IPACA’s message surrounding community learning.

He said: “What we believe is that learning and education is not just about school but it’s also about the community. We want our community in the heart of our school and we want our school in the heart of the community.”

The school is benefitting from using an old building rather than starting from scratch as it is has allowed them to have more space than they would be allowed on a new build.

Mr Fooks said: “We want to be able to design the building to deliver the type of teaching and learning we want to deliver - The schools within school and stage not age learning. This building gives the opportunity to do that.”

The small school environment with a larger school facilities model means that children get the benefits of both worlds.

Children from reception will get the chance to use food technology and science facilities that they wouldn’t at an individual primary school.

Mr Molloy, is proud to be working on this project.

He said: “It’s a constructor’s dream that we get to work on this. It’ll be good the legacy we’re going to leave behind and the upbringing that the children are going to have.”