CAPA College, a specialist Performing Arts facility in Wakefield for 16-19 year olds was delivered through the DfE Free Schools process. The presentation will discuss how the DfE process worked for the college, given the bespoke nature of it’s facilities, and how they aligned with the DfE requirements - design challenges for the constrained site in the centre of Wakefield. It will also cover lessons learnt from a design perspective, including acoustic challenges and providing a publicly-accessed facility whilst maintaining secure lines for the students.