The final brick has been laid on a new state of the art sixth form block in Marlow which was celebrated by the school at a special “topping out” ceremony this week.

Staff and students at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School on West Street gathered at the new building on Wednesday, March 11 to mark the end of construction work on the new block.

Traditionally a "Topping Out" ceremony is held when the final beam or brick is placed on a structure following its construction.

Selected staff and students marked the momentous occasion by signing a board on the building which will go down in the school's history.

Although construction is complete, over 200 sponsored bricks from the "Bricks for Borlase" campaign are still to be placed on the ground at the front of the block.

The campaign – launched at the beginning of this year – encouraged parents and alumni to sponsor a brick and in return have a personalised message printed on it to raise money towards furnishing the new centre.

So far the venture has seen 215 bricks sponsored and raised £30,000.

Head of Borlase, Dr Peter Holding, said: “It is so fulfilling – it is what we dreamed it to be. It is going to be such a great resource for the 6th formers.

“It is so lovely to see bits of the school we have never been able to see before and contractors have just been a really great company to work with.”

The school says the new centre was needed to accommodate the thriving 6th form, which has grown in size in recent years including separate facilities for the specialist nature of some of the subjects on offer.

The new building includes an additional storey added to the current building for extra classrooms, study space and common areas for A-level pupils which will be officially opened in the Autumn term.

The school is accepting sponsors for the Bricks for Borlase campaign up until Friday, May 20. For more information go to the school's website http://www.swbgs.com/