Malvern Hills Arts and Community College is a non-profit company set up in April 2021 to manage the bid to save the site of the former Malvern Hills College / Malvern School of Art from being sold to developers by its current owners who received the site for free as part of a merger in 2016. Known for a short while from 2009 to 2016 as South Worcestershire College (Malvern Campus), in August 2016 the college merged with Warwickshire College Group (WCG) and reverted to its historical name. The school was closed down in 2020 by WCG and a campaign, 'Save Malvern Hills College' was set up by arts students, staff, business leaders, councillors, community representatives and educators to try to save the important site and provision. The campaign gained the support of The Bransford Trust who pledged a large sum of money to the project and was followed by grants totaling £800,000.00 by local authorities. As yet no deal has been reached as WCG are keen to get a protective educational covenant overturned, against the community and local authority wishes, in order to maximise sale value. No date has been set for this court date yet. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The college has its beginnings when it was first constructed as Malvern Technical College and School of Art in 1928 to provide a home for Malvern School of Art which was formed in 1886. It was purpose-built for such a type of provision and included specialist art studios, printmaking studio, jewellery & silver-smithing workshops, ceramics and sculpture workshops, an historic arts library, catering course facilities and a textile department amongst others. It provided some full and part-time vocational education for students aged 14–18 but was predominantly an adult education college focussed on arts and skills education. The college was a lifeline to the community from Malvern and beyond enabling arts & skills learning benefitting the students in so many ways from improved mental health, giving confidence to re-enter the jobs market, launch new careers and help social isolation. The total number of enrolled students for the Evesham and Malvern campuses of the former South Worcestrshire College, together with the outreach locations, was about 7,000 of which about 10% were students aged 16–18 pursuing full-time education. [6] [7] In addition to the large majority of courses which were financed by the students themselves, the college was independently financed by the Worcestershire Local Authority which in turn was partly funded by a grant from the European Social Fund (ESF) to provide level 1 recognised national qualifications in Hairdressing, Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair, Engineering, Animal Care and Construction. The college had an Acquired Brain Injury Centre and also offered students NVQs and BTEC First, National and Higher National diplomas and certificates. and access to higher education programmes. [8] ESOL courses are provided for Migrant workers and students needing English language support. [9] The main provision at the college has always been arts education, predominantly funded by the students themselves. The facilities provided at the site are a rare example A 2006 Ofsted report accorded the school, under its former name of Evesham and Malvern Hills College, a Grade 2 (good), [7] while a 2007 follow up report disclosed the college's firm intention to purchase the Malvern site and extend the facilities. Many of the suggestions in the 2006 report had also been addressed. [9] The Evesham campus, now returned to its former name of Evesham College following the 2016 merger with the Warwickshire College Group and is located in Davies Road, Evesham. [1]
The Malvern campus, which returned to its former name, is located in Albert Road North, Malvern and has been known as Malvern College of Further Education, (around 1965) then Malvern Hills College, until merging with Evesham College in September 2000 to become the Malvern campus for Evesham and Malvern Hills College in 2000, renamed South Worcestershire College in 2009. [2] The college was operated by the Wyvern Trust, which was formed 1982 to manage and maintain the existence of Malvern Hills College when the site was purchased by Malvern Hills District Council following an unsuccessful attempt by the council of the former Hereford and Worcester county to sell the land and buildings. The trust was dissolved on the merger with Evesham College. [2] The complex contains special teaching facilities and salons for hair and beauty therapy, art and crafts studios, workshops and the Malvern Community Learning Centre for adults.
In November 2020 it was announced that Malvern Hills College would close down in the summer of 2021. [10] [11] A covenant on the buildings requires the site to be used for educational purposes, despite a bid from the community to save the college and Malvern Town Council appointing the college as an asset of community value, WCG continued with the closure. [12]
WCG launched Malvern Hills Centre for Digital & Cyber Technology, on the Malvern Hills Science Park specialising in a limited offer of IT courses for adults. The centre opened in September 2021 but failed to recruit and closed. [13]
In November 2021, following a protest and rally held in Priory Park, Malvern Hills District Council reaffirmed it commitment to uphold the covenant to continue education facilities at the Albert Road site. [14] [15]
Following a campaign 'Save Malvern Hills College' run by former students, staff, business leaders, councillors, educators & community representatives to save the school, a new non-profit company, Malvern Hills Arts & Community College Limited, was formed to take a bid forward to WCG . [16] In addition to the money previously pledged by The Bransford Trust A grant of £400,000.00 from Malvern Hills District Council, [17] was matched by a further grant of the same amount by Worcester County council. [16] Together, the three funding partners are working with the newly created non-profit Malvern Hills Arts & Community College to try reach a deal with Warwickshire College Group to buy the site so that the community in Malvern & beyond can benefit from the college. [18]
Worcestershire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west. The city of Worcester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Evesham is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesham, an area comprising the flood plain of the River Avon, which has been renowned for market gardening. The town centre, situated within a meander of the river, is subjected regularly to flooding. The 2007 floods were the most severe in recorded history.
Malvern College is a fee-charging coeducational boarding and day school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school in the British sense of the term and is a member of the Rugby Group and of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Since its foundation in 1865, it has remained on the same grounds, which are located near the town centre of Great Malvern. The campus, now covering some 250 acres, is near the Malvern Hills.
Pershore is a market town and civil parish in the Wychavon district in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. At the 2011 census, the population was 7,125. The town is best known for Pershore Abbey. Pershore is situated 6 miles (10 km) west of Evesham and 6 miles (10 km) east of Upton-upon-Severn in the Vale of Evesham.
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England, with a population size of 132,500 according to the 2021 census. Its council is based in the town of Pershore, and the other towns in the district are Droitwich Spa and Evesham. The district extends from the southeast corner of Worcestershire north and west. It borders all the other districts of Worcestershire, as well as the counties of Gloucestershire and Warwickshire.
The Chase School is a secondary school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. The school opened as a Secondary Modern in 1953 under headteacher Mr Garth. It was officially opened by Lord Cobham on 26 March 1955. The Chase became a comprehensive with the abolition of selective education in Worcestershire in 1974 and became an academy on 1 November 2011. Teaching students from Year 7 to Year 13, The Chase has around 1,300 students, making it one of the larger schools in Worcestershire, with just under 300 students in the sixth form.
WCG is the managing body that administers several colleges of further education in the English West Midlands, namely in the counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Its most recent acquisition concerned its August 2016 merger with South Worcestershire College of which the two campuses then reverted to their historical names of Evesham College in Evesham and Malvern Hills College in Great Malvern. The merger makes it the largest group of further and adult education institutions in the country and one of the five colleges in the United Kingdom empowered by the Privy Council with the authority to award Foundation Degrees
The University of Worcester is a public research university, based in Worcester, England. Worcester is the only university based in the counties of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. With a history dating back to 1946, the university began awarding degrees in 1997 and was granted full university status in 2005.
Barrow Sixth Form College, part of Furness College, is in the outskirts of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Barrow Sixth Form College was established in 1979 to fulfil the role of the main A level provider in Barrow following the merger of the two Barrow Grammar Schools and their change to deliver education to only 11 to 16 year-olds. It is the only sixth form college in Cumbria. A levels and Cambridge Technical qualifications are taught in buildings that have been specially designed for students over the age of sixteen. It includes facilities for physically disabled students and is a satellite campus for Beaumont. The college primarily educates students within the age range of 16–18 years, as well as courses for adult learners.
Heart of Worcestershire College is an academic institution with campuses at Worcester, Malvern, Redditch and Bromsgrove. It was established in August 2014 on the merging of Worcester College of Technology and North East Worcestershire College.
The College of North West London (CNWL) is a large further education college in north-west London, England. It was established in 1991 by the merger between Willesden Technical College and Kilburn Polytechnic in the London Borough of Brent. Today there are two campuses in the borough, in Willesden and Wembley Park, while a smaller training centre also exists in King's Cross in the borough of Camden. Over 11,000 students were enrolled at the college as of 2015.
Herefordshire and Ludlow College is a college of further education (FE) based in Hereford, Herefordshire, and with a separate sixth form college campus in Ludlow, Shropshire.
The De Montfort School is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Evesham, Worcestershire, England.
Wiltshire College & University Centre is a tertiary college of education founded in 2002 by the merger of Chippenham Technical College, Lackham College and Trowbridge College. Consolidation was completed with the merger of Salisbury College, which commenced in January 2008. In 2020-21 the institution offered over 1,000 courses and had approximately 3,300 full-time and 6,000 part-time students, with over 800 enrolled on degree-level courses.
The Bewdley School is a senior school and sixth form in Bewdley, serving north-west Worcestershire, England. Its campus is very close to the River Severn and lies on the border of the Wyre Forest national nature reserve. Bewdley is an educational research partner of the University of Worcester and University of Birmingham and is recognised for its focus on international and cultural education. In 2019, Bewdley hosted the Global Happiness Conference in partnership with the British Council. The Bewdley School has close ties with the nearby Bewdley Rowing Club established in 1877.
Leeds City College is the largest further education establishment in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England with around 26,000 students, 2,300 staff, with an annual turnover of £78 million. It officially opened on 1 April 2009. The College was granted official status in January 2009 and was formed from three large colleges, Park Lane College, Leeds Thomas Danby College and Leeds College of Technology.
Hanley Castle High School is a non-selective mixed secondary school and sixth form centre located in the village of Hanley Castle, 1.4 miles (2.2 km) from the small town of Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire. It was formerly known as Hanley Castle Grammar School, and was probably founded in 1326, making it one of the oldest schools in England.
Buxton & Leek College is a college of Further and Higher Education operating at their campuses and facilities in Buxton, Derbyshire, Leek, Staffordshire and Derby, Derbyshire. The college is part of the University of Derby.
Abbey College in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, is a small boarding school providing secondary education to a diverse and international student body. The present college was founded in 1979 on a site that had been used for education since 1874. The Abbey School occupied the premises between 1908 and 1979
Beverley Nielsen is an entrepreneur, educator and campaigner who works as executive director, Institute for Design, Economic Acceleration & Sustainability (IDEAS) at Birmingham City University. She has previously worked as a director for AGA Rangemaster, and as managing director for Fired Earth. In 2016 Nielsen was selected as the Liberal Democrat Candidate for the Mayor of the West Midlands, standing as the first and only female candidate, but was defeated in the 2017 mayoral election by Conservative candidate Andy Street, coming third after Labour and ahead of UKIP.