ASCOT High School will, as of September, start a sixth form programme at the St Catherine institution.

Principal Cedric Murray said the plans had been in the pipeline for a while.

“At the graduation ceremony last year, we made the first announcement and already, we have brought it to fruition in almost nine months,” Murray said at the ground-breaking ceremony last Wednesday.

He said the new block will consist of two refurbished classrooms, and the new programme will cater to 60 students.

He said funds for the expansion have started coming in.

At the ceremony, Mayor of Portmore George Lee offered the school a cheque with an undisclosed value, while Councillor for the Greater Portmore Division Michael Edwards, who delivered greetings on behalf of Member of Parliament for South St Catherine Fitz Jackson, said Jackson would donate $1 million, which Education Minister Ronald Thwaites also matched.

In his address, Thwaites applauded the principal and the administrators who worked to initiate the programmes the school will offer at the advanced level.

The programmes will not only include Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination courses, but professional development courses and leadership training as well.

“The offerings of the sixth form represent the policy of the Ministry of Education [to provide] technical and vocational studies at an advanced level,” Thwaites said.

“Many of the technical schools do not offer the range of services the sixth form at Ascot High School will offer.”

He said other schools should adopt the school’s approach.