TAUNTON’S Castle School is to expand to take students up to the age of 19 from September next year.

Castle, which currently educates pupils up to GCSE-level, will provide post-16 courses with a focus on diplomas and apprenticeships in sport.

Approval has been granted for the change after the school was identified as a high-performing specialist school and awarded a second specialism in applied learning.

Students enrolling on the courses in 2010 will be the first to use the school’s new post-16 ‘QDOS’ building, which is being built after the Learning and Skills Council agreed to a £2.25m capital funding bid.

The building, which will contain teaching and seminar rooms, social area, changing rooms, fitness suite and practical teaching area for PE and dance, will provide state of the art specialist facilities.

A new £600,000 four-classroom teaching block will also be built as part of the project. The block, which will be used by the school’s 11-16-year-old students, will replace two temporary classrooms.

Castle head teacher Kevin Freedman said: “These developments are very exciting for the school, the town and local young people.

“The new building will be of extremely high quality and will offer a very special place for students to study.

“Sport and leisure is an area in which education and training opportunities have been limited and we are pleased to be able to support young people in the town by providing the new courses in excellent facilities.”

*Further information about the courses that will be on offer can be obtained from the school.