CHADDESDEN students will begin their post-16 education at

Pride Park Stadium after the completion of a new £3.1m

vocational skills centre was delayed.

The opening of the centre in the grounds of Lees Brook

Community Sports College, in Morley Road, has been delayed by

five weeks because of building works.

Students were expecting to enrol on Monday, September 15,

but will spend their first-day induction at the Rams' ground

instead.

Lessons have been hastily re-arranged to take place in

temporary venues, including the main school buildings in

Chaddesden Lane and at the Church on Oakwood, at Bishop's

Drive.

The centre has been designed to act as a stop-gap between

school and college for those pupils who feel they need a more

specialised curriculum before further education.

It will offer one-year entry-level and level-one courses in

construction, retail, beauty therapy, hairdressing, health and

social care and hospitality and catering.

Joe McColgan, assistant head teacher at the centre, has been

overseeing the project from before it started being built last

November.

He said the delayed opening has been frustrating but is

confident students will be pleased with the end result.

He said: "We anticipate that up to 80 students will enrol on

the first day but it's difficult to be specific because this is

non-compulsory education.

"But we are writing to them all to tell them of the change

of venues and look forward to seeing them as planned."

The delay has been caused by several factors, including

unforeseen water main problems created by tree roots on one

part of the site. Developers also had to halt works during

recent exams in May and June.

Mr McColgan said: "It was always going to be a tight

schedule and at one time it was seven weeks behind.

"At least this has now been pulled back to five and we can

look at getting it finished."

Former pupils of Lees Brook School will attend the centre,

as well as former students of da Vinci Community College, in

Breadsall Hilltop, West Park Community School, in Spondon, Kirk

Hallam Community Technology College, Noel-Baker Community

School, in Alvaston, and John Flamsteed School, in Denby.

Large areas of the buildings, funded by Derbyshire Learning

and Skills Council, will be dedicated to each subject, and

there will be an extensive library and resource centre as well

as somewhere for students to meet with a plasma screen.

The hairdressing department has been designed as a working

salon and the retail department has a shop front to help with

window-dressing skills.

Seven new teaching and support staff have been employed by

the school to work in the centre.

Staff from the Morley Road school will also be used to help

with construction and health and social care courses.

Mr McColgan said: "It's an exciting time for the school and

we hope everyone will be patient over the delay."