Breaking ground for ground-breaking learning

Construction is continuing at pace on Education Partnership North East’s new £52 million-plus Ashington Campus, which promises to revolutionise students’ learning experiences. Here, Colin Young tours the site and speaks to Ellen Thinnesen, Education Partnership North East chief executive, and a number of the project’s partners, to learn more about how the development will nurture future generations and provide Ashington with a significant economic boost.

Five years in the making.

Two years of negotiations, funding, sourcing and planning.

One vision.

Where muddy mounds rise tall and a series of holes presently pockmark the ground, soon will stand Northumberland College’s new trailblazing Ashington Campus.

Taking shape on Wansbeck Business Park, on the town’s fringe, the Education Partnership North East-led venture aims to revolutionise learning for the future.

The building site will be transformed over the next two months, as pre-built structures arrive and are made watertight.

By September 2026, the doors will open to three distinct buildings, home to the country’s newest and most innovative educational facilities.

Built by Bowmer + Kirkland on land owned by Advance Northumberland, the pioneering scheme has full approval of the Department for Education and Northumberland County Council.

When completed, the buildings will feature a Technical Centre of Excellence for electrical and mechanical engineering, robotics and automation, civil engineering and groundworks, automotive and green transport, housing and modern construction.

It will also include a Student Life Centre and a further and higher education academic and technical ‘heart of the campus’, which will include a specialist hub for young people aged 16 to 25 with special educational needs.

Furthermore, there will be a commercial restaurant for public use, a campus café with indoor and outdoor dining, large theatre space, specialist laboratories, industry-standard workshops and immersive learning environments, and space to provide employment, careers, financial, welfare and study support services.

The ambitious project has been spearheaded by Ellen Thinnesen, Education Partnership North East chief executive, who has led the organisation – which also includes Sunderland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College – through two mergers to assemble one of the largest college groups in the country.

She says: “When we first merged with Northumberland College in 2019, I had conversations with the Department for Education about concerns around the long-term sustainability of the existing site.

“I knew, once we’d done our site surveying and due diligence, that the building wouldn’t stand the test of time for the next 20 or 30 years.

“The Department for Education has been superb to work with, in terms of viewing what the future could be for Ashington and supporting this transformative project financially.

“We equally owe a huge thanks to Advance Northumberland, which has been great in helping us acquire the land.

“This was a chance to be part of a trailblazer pilot scheme, to think about designing and building schools and colleges in a different way into the future, which incorporates a low-carbon standard in its architecture, design and manufacture.

“That means there are a number of features within the buildings, such as biophilic principles – lots of tree planting, greenery and use of light – so students feel connected to nature.”

The campus’ Technical Centre of Excellence will be home to the School of Engineering, Manufacturing and Automotive, and the School of Construction.

Linked to industry, technical equipment and workshops will be used to train further and higher education students alongside a training centre for vehicle electrification and modern housebuilding.

There will also be the first Ashington School of Health, through a partnership with Northumbria University and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which will help create pathways into higher education and healthcare work.

Ellen says: “Our schools of education and childcare; business; visitor economy and commercial industries; sport, exercise and wellbeing; and computing and technology will ensure our curriculum spans a wide range of options, including data computing, cybersecurity, software development and training around business services and business industries.

“Foundational economy training will upskill students in maths, English, digital and employability skills, and provide a direct line to apprenticeships.”

Ellen adds: “The fact we have a diverse range of national, regional and local partners supporting us is phenomenal.

“It’s really exciting to be part of a trailblazing project in the North East.

“The college’s core purpose is to unlock potential, create opportunities and transform lives through outstanding education and training.

“Our future is focused on changemaking and shaping futures for a better tomorrow, and we are doing just that.

“Our college and its brilliant workforce are focused on actively contributing to social, environmental and economic transformation to create lasting, meaningful impact in our communities and beyond.

“This development will bring increased footfall into the town centre and help shape the town for many years to come.

“It is a great legacy.”

Construction of the Ashington Campus comes against the backdrop of Education Partnership North East having secured an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating late last year.

And James Stuart, chair of governors, says the investment will add further momentum to its progress.

He says: “The site is going to change rapidly in the next few months, embodying some of the new construction techniques, and the transformation will be almost unbelievable.

“This modern building isn’t going to make a difference in isolation, though, and it isn’t just about building colleges.

“It’s about the role the college and the facilities will play in the community.”

The blueprint for the campus came before Northumberland County Council’s planning committee in June, and with Ashington’s railway station coming to life as part of the re-opened Northumberland Line, these are exciting times for the region.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, adds: “This county will not just be a UK leader but a world-leader, and this building will drive that.

“Ashington has been unloved for many years, but that has changed, and this will play a huge part in making that change even more sustainable.

“It will raise aspiration, confidence levels and the ability of so many people to be able to get involved and play a leading part in this amazing county.

“I want people to feel they’ve come to the college, got an education and a job, and are then able to help lead industry for the future, for their children and their children’s children.”

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