RESIDENTS looked into the future this week at the Annual Whitehill and Bordon Town Meeting, which focused on the town’s young people.

Fittingly hosted by Bordon’s Mill Chase Academy secondary school, Monday’s event put education at the centre of discussions.

Whitehill Town Council chairman and mayor David Cooper, as he invited guest speakers to the floor, said: “There could not be a more important subject.”

School principal Paul Hemmings spoke of the school’s snowballing success over the past few years and said he was “absolutely delighted” to be at the helm of “a very happy, vibrant academy”.

Last year the school saw its first inspection since becoming an academy, and rose up the rankings to be graded “good” by Ofsted.

However, describing both staff and pupils as academically and personally “ambitious”, Mr Hemmings has now set his sights on an “outstanding” grade from the school-inspection body.

All being well, he said this could be achieved by 2019.

The University of Chichester Academy Trust took Mill Chase under its wing in 2013 and passed on its “family” and “community focused” environment.

Although the trust is growing, Mr Hemmings said it probably will not control more than 30 schools, enabling it to retain its personal ethos.

Prior to adopting academy status, Mill Chase saw some turbulent times with Ofsted criticising a lack of consistency and a high staff turnover. This reached fever pitch during 2013 when the school saw five interim headteachers hold the post.

However, those days seem to be well and truly gone. Now, despite the “dire state” of teacher recruitment nationally, Mr Hemmings said he had “the best possible” teachers working with him and “a very low staff turnover”. A strong body of capable staff is his “absolute priority”.

The future looks particularly bright for the school, with work set to start on a new school premises later this year.

Architect Liam Presley, from Hampshire County Council, presented detailed plans for the new school in Budds Lane, to where Mill Chase will move from Mill Chase Road.

He said, although the school will have capacity for 900 students, there will be provision for an extension further down the line, enabling it to take 1,200.

And it was not just students set to benefit as facilities - including football and rugby pitches, a floodlight 3G pitch, provision for six badminton courts and the Daly Ground incorporated into the site - will be opened up to the wider community outside of school hours.

A decision on planning permission is due in June and, should things go well, work will start on site in the autumn. The plan is for the school to be operational for September 2019.

With enhanced infant and junior schools, a new secondary school, new skatepark and plenty of youth facilities, Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company project lead James Child said that north of Budds Lane will become a hub for the town’s younger residents.

Councillors and the public also heard from Steve Gilder, the newly appointed manager of Bordon’s Future Skills Centre.

Mr Gilder, who started out as an apprentice before moving into a variety of construction roles, said he was excited to start welcoming students to the “state-of-the-art construction facility” later this year.

He spoke of the “innovative and inspiring” construction opportunities open to young people, using the British architectural contribution to Dubai’s rising skyline as a beacon of how far the career can take you.

“It’s not just paving someone’s drive,” he added.

Rather, construction is “big business”, contributing “£103 billion” to the UK’s economy in 2014, 6.5 per cent of the country’s GDP, and making up more than six per cent of all UK jobs.

He said he hoped to stand as a living example of someone who had enjoyed a fruitful career after entering the industry through the hitherto-unconventional apprenticeship route.

Responding to a question about opportunities for teenage girls, Mr Gilder said it was “a problem” that the industry remained dominated by men but added that “breaking down barriers is very difficult”.

But he would “love it” if more female candidates signed up to train at the facility - highlighting design and “more creative” roles as the typically popular choices.

The Future Skills Centre, which is being developed at the former Louisburg Barracks, will open later this year under the auspices of the Basingstoke College of Technology.

In one of his final addresses as mayor, Mr Cooper paid tribute to former town clerk Chris Youngs who stood down at the end of last year. He commended Mr Youngs, who joined the town council in 2008, for his service and said “we wish him every success” in retirement.

Closing the meeting, Mr Cooper ran through the many highlights of his tenure. He is due to hand over the chains of office to a new mayor at the Annual Town Council Meeting on Monday, May 22.