London South East Colleges

Last updated

London South East Colleges
LSEC logo.png
Address
London South East Colleges
Rookery Lane

,
BR2 8HE

England
Coordinates 51°23′13″N0°02′06″E / 51.387°N 0.035°E / 51.387; 0.035
Information
Type Further education, higher education
Established1907-2016 – founding institutions
2016 – London South East Colleges
Local authorityBromley, Bexley, Greenwich
Department for Education URN 130430 Tables
Ofsted Reports
PrincipalSam Parrett
Staff650+
GenderMixed
Age16+
Enrolment10,000+ (2019) [1]
Website www.lsec.ac.uk

Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, trading as London South East Colleges (LSEC), is a large college of further education and higher education operating in south-east London, England. [1] It is a partner college of six of the twelve schools of the University of Greenwich. LSEC was established in 2016 by the amalgamation of Bromley College, Greenwich Community College and Bexley College. [1] Its largest campus is in the town of Bromley, and others are situated in Erith, Plumstead and Orpington.

Contents

History and sites

Bromley and Orpington

The Bromley campus is just south of Bromley town centre on the A21. Bromley College was founded in 1959. On 1 August 2011, it merged with Orpington College, which became its Orpington campus. Built in 1972, Orpington College's tower block remains the tallest building in Orpington. A World War II air-raid shelter was discovered in November 2008 during construction. [2] This shelter would have housed Orpington residents from German bombing raids, and was buried when the Walnuts Shopping Centre was built.

The old Bromley College logo Bromley College of Further and Higher Education logo.gif
The old Bromley College logo

Beginning in 2008, the Bromley campus it underwent a £26m overhaul. Buildings, dating back more than 30 years were demolished and a new hi-tech, eco-friendly four-storey block built, while the existing 10-storey block was refurbished. The new building houses a study and IT centre. The new library includes a quiet room and there is a new student common room. Following a competition held by the college, the new building was named "The Ozone" by winning student, Martin Baker. It was officially opened on 14 April 2011 by the mayor, accompanied by Jason Donovan, who unveiled a plaque.

On 1 August 2016, Bromley College of Further & Higher Education merged with Bexley College and Greenwich Community College to become London South East Colleges. [3] London South East Colleges is the trading name of Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, which is still the legal name.

Greenwich

The old GCC logo GCC London.png
The old GCC logo

The Greenwich campus of LSEC is on Plumstead Road between Woolwich and Plumstead. In its 2010 Ofsted inspection the college was judged "satisfactory" overall, with Sports, Leisure and Tourism, and ESOL provision rated as "good".

This college was originally founded in 1921 as Woolwich College of Further Education. In 1998, Woolwich College amalgamated with Greenwich Community College to deliver the Adult and Community Learning contract for the London Borough of Greenwich. Greenwich Community College became part of LSEC in 2016.

Bexley

The Bexley campus of LSEC is in Erith. It dates back to 1906 when the building was built to a design by architect William Egerton, and then opened in 1907 as 'Erith Technical Institute'. [4] It is on the residential Erith Road, on the last part of the ridge, in the east of the district on the border of Erith, at the junction of Erith Road and Upper Holly Hill Road. The building was for a time shared with Erith County School. [5]

It was formerly known as Erith College of Technology (ECOT) running Ordinary National Diplomas OND in Technology & Ordinary National Certificates ONC as well as Higher National Certificates HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering alongside A Levels and other vocational courses in Mechanical Engineering, Beauty, Hairdressing, Management and Construction.

The former St Joseph's Campus at 269 Woolwich Road (A206) near Bostall Heath in Abbey Wood used to be the St Joseph's Convent Grammar School, a Catholic girls' school until 1979; there also was the Main Road campus in Sidcup. Both sites were sold off for housing developments principally to earn revenue for the College. In 1971, a new campus was built on Tower Road in Belvedere and became known as Bexley College in 1993. The Grade II listed Holly Hill Campus offers engineering and construction courses.

In 2014, the new main campus opened in Erith town centre, near to the station in Stonewood Road / Walnut Tree Road. The previous main campus at Tower Road in Belvedere was closed and as of October 2014 is being redeveloped by the new owners to provide housing. The Walnut Tree Road campus in Erith was built to be eco friendly with biomass boilers, LED lighting and rainwater flushing for the toilets. Bexley College merged with Bromley and Greenwich colleges in 2016 and thus became the Bexley campus of LSEC.

In popular culture, the E4 drama Misfits is filmed in Thamesmead. Many scenes take place around Southmere Lake and Bexley College was once also used as a setting. [6]

Academic organisation

In further education the college offers a wide variety of vocational courses [7] A new Hospitality, Food & Enterprise College opened in September 2014 at the Orpington Campus. Bromley College opened up a commercial training restaurant which is now open to the public.

Bromley College partnerships with the University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University enable them to offer a range of courses providing higher education opportunities.

The Bromley Children's University was launched in September 2014, with initial support from the National Children's University, a national programme aimed at increasing social mobility and aspiration among children.

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexleyheath</span> Human settlement in England

Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England, located in the London Borough of Bexley. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located 12 miles (19.3 km) south-east of Charing Cross. It is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in London. Its wider definition is that of a small post town that takes in other surrounding neighbourhoods, including Barnehurst, much of West Heath and the former hamlet of Upton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Borough of Greenwich</span> Place in United Kingdom

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and part of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich to the east. The local council is Greenwich London Borough Council which meets in Woolwich Town Hall. The council's offices are also based in Woolwich, the main urban centre in the borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erith</span> Town in England

Erith is an area in south-east London, England, 13.3 miles (21.4 km) east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north-east of Bexleyheath and north-west of Dartford, on the south bank of the River Thames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thamesmead</span> Area of south east London

Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located 11 miles (18 km) east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly consists of social housing built from the mid-1960s onwards on former marshland on the south bank of the River Thames.

Welling is a town in South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bexleyheath, 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Woolwich and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Bexley</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Bexley is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Borough of Bexley is within the Thames Gateway, an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. The local authority is Bexley London Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexley</span> Human settlement in England

Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross and south of Bexleyheath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belvedere, London</span> Town in south east London, England

Belvedere is a town in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies close to the River Thames, with Erith to the east, Bexleyheath to the south, and Abbey Wood and Thamesmead to the west. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, Belvedere was in the administrative county of Kent.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Heath</span> Human settlement in England

Northumberland Heath is an area of South East London, England within the London Borough of Bexley. It is located south of Erith and north of Bexleyheath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbey Wood</span> Neighbourhood of London, England

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Further education and skills inspection report" (PDF). OFSTED . Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  2. Orpington News: Wartime Shelter uncovered at college
  3. "Lsec merge". Archived from the original on 5 September 2017.
  4. "Bexley College (Former Erith Technical Institute) Including Attached Walls Railings and Gatepiers, Bexley". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  5. "Technical Institute, Belvedere 1930". Bexley Borough Photos. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  6. Thamesmead teens meet E4's Bafta-winning Misfits (From News Shopper)
  7. "courses". Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  8. Hanif Kureishi official website Archived 5 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 30 April 2014.
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