Rochdale Sixth Form College

Last updated

Rochdale Sixth Form College
Rochdale Sixth Form College Logo.png
Address
Rochdale Sixth Form College
College Road

Rochdale
,
Greater Manchester
,
OL12 6HY

United Kingdom
Coordinates 53°37′02″N2°09′49″W / 53.6171°N 2.1637°W / 53.6171; -2.1637
Information
Type Sixth Form College
Established1 September 2010
Local authority Rochdale
Department for Education URN 144463 Tables
PrincipalKarl Smith [1]
Age16to 18
Website http://www.rochdalesfc.ac.uk

Rochdale Sixth Form College is a Sixth Form College opened in September 2010. The Sixth Form College campus is situated next to Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, forming an educational quarter in the town. Rochdale is the first sixth form college to be opened in the UK since 2004, and the 93rd sixth form college in the country. The college is a member of the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA), founder of the Student Union of Celebration and Co-operation (SUCC), and the Association of Colleges (AoC).

Contents

History

From the 1970s to the 1990s, most secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale offered sixth form education such as A-levels to school leavers. In addition, Hopwood Hall College also offered a provision of sixth form courses to students.

By the 2000s, sixth form students studying in Rochdale Borough were achieving below the national average in terms of A Level results. As well as this, many local school leavers were opting to study sixth form education at schools or colleges outside of Rochdale borough, particularly at dedicated sixth form colleges in nearby areas such as Bury and Oldham. [2] In a local area review of post-16 education in Rochdale in 2004, the Learning and Skills Council proposed the construction of a new sixth form college in Rochdale borough. Rochdale's MP, Paul Rowen, along with local student, Sajid Suleman, launched a campaign in 2006 for a new sixth form college in Rochdale to stop the "brain drain". [3] [4] After funding for the new college became available, the Department for Children, Schools and Families formally approved the construction of the new college in August 2008. [5] The Chair of the Governing Body is Dame Pamela Coward, former headteacher of Middleton Technology School.

The £26 million new sixth form college campus was subsequently constructed next to Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale town. [6] Rochdale Sixth Form College opened in September 2010, overseen by the Founding Principal of the college, Julian Appleyard. Appleyard served as Principal of the college for eight years, leaving his position at the end of February, 2018. [7] Appleyard was followed by Richard Ronksley, who assumed the role of Principal near the end of 2018. [8] Ronksley served as Principal of Rochdale Sixth Form until January 2023, when the current Principal, Karl Smith, took his position. [9]

Rochdale Sixth Form College is now the primary provider of sixth form education in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, with around 10% of students on roll from schools outside of Rochdale. [10] Since the opening of the college, most (but not all) secondary schools in the borough have ceased to offer sixth form courses for students. Hopwood Hall College has also discontinued its provision of A-levels, [11] concentrating instead on offering vocational further education for school leavers, as well as courses for adult learners.

Today

Opened in September 2010, Rochdale Sixth Form College offers a range of A-level courses to students from Rochdale and the wider borough. Facilities at the college campus include a theatre and dance/drama studio, [12] learning resource and study centre, ICT suites, science laboratories, [13] a music recording studio and Mac suite, specialist art and design studios, a restaurant, a coffee house, a fitness suite and a multi-faith prayer room.

The first set of academic results by the College were in the top 5% of all sixth form institutions in the UK in value added terms. The College received national coverage for this performance. In the same year the College Principal was the key note speaker at a number of sixth form national conferences and continues to feature leading sessions on post 16 leadership at national conferences.

The College continues to make the headlines for its academic performance. The A Level results showed a 99% pass rate and value added for AS Level place it in the top 1% of sixth forms in the country. The College featured very prominently in the Department for Education League Tables in February 2013 where it was number two out of 93 sixth form colleges in the UK in terms of value added. The College had its first OFSTED inspection in March 2013 and received the result of being an outstanding college, one of only two sixth form colleges nationally to be awarded the outstanding status under the rigorous new inspection framework.

The College goes from strength to strength and now has national acclaim. The College made history in January 2017 being the first placed college for the third consecutive year in the Department for Education Performance tables for A level progress. In January 2019, the College achieved first place in the Department for Educations Performance tables for the fifth year running, [14] and went on to win the sixth-form of the year award at the 2021 Tes FE Awards, [15] Tes Magazine being widely considered the most trusted source of education news and views in the UK.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochdale</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Rochdale is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the 2021 census the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wider borough. Rochdale is in the foothills of the South Pennines and lies in the dale (valley) of the River Roch, 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Oldham, and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton, Greater Manchester</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Middleton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Rochdale and 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Manchester. Middleton had a population of 42,972 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the northern edge of Manchester, with Blackley to the south and Moston to the south east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockenhurst College</span> Further education school in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, United Kingdom

Brockenhurst College is a large tertiary college situated in Brockenhurst, Hampshire. Co-educational since the 1920s, Brockenhurst College accepts students over the age of 16 or year 12 students, whichever occurs first due to safeguarding policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Brendan's Sixth Form College</span> Sixth form, college in Brislington, Bristol, England

St Brendan's is a state funded sixth form college located in Brislington, Bristol, England. Over 1700 students study A-levels, BTECs & GCSEs on one purpose-built, university style campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newham Sixth Form College</span> Sixth form college in Plaistow, Greater London, England

Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) is a sixth form college located in the East London borough of Newham. Situated on a single site in Plaistow, the college was established in 1992 to provide for students in Newham and neighbouring boroughs who opt to stay in education beyond GCSE O-levels. It is designed for students ages 16 to 19 and its curriculum includes A-levels as well as specialist pathway, levels 2 and 3 vocational, foundation level and ESOL programmes. There are currently about 2,500 students at the college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halesowen College of Further Education</span> Further education school in Halesowen, West Midlands, England

Halesowen College is a further and higher education college in Whittingham Road, Halesowen, West Midlands. It was established in 1982 as a tertiary college. The college also has a Business Centre about a mile away at Coombswood that opened in September 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne Metropolitan College</span> Metropolitan College

Tyne Metropolitan College is a college of further education in North Tyneside, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ambrose College</span> Christian brothers grammar school in Hale Barns , Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England

St Ambrose College is a Christian Brothers' Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Hale Barns, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1946 by Joseph Robertson. In 2012 the school became an academy, and was completely re-built. Upon leaving the college, boys are referred to as ‘Old Ambrosians’ and many go on to join the Old Boys' Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixth Form College, Farnborough</span> Sixth form college in Farnborough, Hampshire, England

The Sixth Form College Farnborough is a sixth form college situated in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. It caters for around 3,915 students and admission is mostly from schools in the local areas of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. The college is often referred to as 'Farnborough Sixth' to differentiate it from Farnborough College of Technology.

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational sixth-form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,650 students, generally ranging between the ages of 16 and 19. The curriculum consists of AS, A levels and a small range of BTECs. GCSE English Language and Maths can only be taken alongside an A level programme as resits. The college was ranked as the 17th-best sixth-form college in 2012, has the best A-Level performance of any state-funded institution in Shropshire, and has been awarded 'Beacon Status'. The college's Welsh Bridge campus includes buildings of Grade II-listed status originally built in 1910 to house the Priory Grammar School for Boys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Sixth Form College</span> Sixth form school in Grimsby, England

Franklin Sixth Form College is a sixth form college on Chelmsford Avenue in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England, serving more than 2,700 students, including adult learners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford College, Bedford</span> Further education school in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England

Bedford College is a further education college located in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is the principal further education provider in the Borough of Bedford, and is a member of the Collab Group of high performing schools.

Bedford Academy is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Kingsbrook area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wirral Metropolitan College</span> Further and Higher Education College situated on the Wirral Peninsula, England

Wirral Met College is a Further and Higher Education College situated on the Wirral Peninsula, in the north-west of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopwood Hall College</span> School in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Hopwood Hall College is a further education college in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It has two campuses, one in Rochdale (53.6168°N 2.1626°W) and one in Middleton (53.5690°N 2.1889°W). The college offers a wide range of vocational and technical study programmes aimed at young people aged 16–19, with some university level courses, Apprenticeship programmes and adult education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totton College</span> Further education college in Totton, Southampton, Hampshire, England

Totton College is a further education college located in Totton, Hampshire, providing courses for mainly 16- to 19-year-olds as well as adult education courses. These include BTECs, NVQs, GCSEs and Access courses. Courses are also available to students aged 14 and above who would benefit from additional hands-on experience and training in addition to their mainstream learning. A range of accredited professional and leisure courses are available to adults both in the daytime and evening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School</span> Voluntary aided school in Stanycliffe, Middleton, Greater Manchester, England

The Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England, for ages 11–18. The school is named for Thomas Langley, a 15th-century prelate who hailed from Middleton.

Middleton Technology School is a coeducational secondary school in the Middleton area of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. Since 1995 the school has specialised in technology, vocational education and Raising Achievement Transforming Learning (RATL). During a 2006 Ofsted inspection the school was described as "Outstanding".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sefton Sixth Form College</span> Further education school in Litherland, Merseyside, England

Sefton Sixth Form College is a sixth form college in Merseyside, England. It is a part of Hugh Baird College and was formerly known as the Hugh Baird College South Sefton Campus.

Haringey Sixth Form College is a mixed sex sixth form college located in the Tottenham area of the London Borough of Haringey, United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ "Meet the Team". Rochdale Sixth Form College.
  2. ↑ "Rochdale News | News Headlines | Number of A-Level students justifies need for Rochdale sixth form college". Rochdale Online. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  3. ↑ McMullan, Dan (28 August 2006). "'Stop brain drain so town can make grade'". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media.
  4. ↑ "Rochdale News | News Headlines | Time to end brain drain says Rochdale MP". Rochdale Online. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Rochdale News | News Headlines | Rochdale Sixth Form College gets go ahead". Rochdale Online. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Rochdale News | News Headlines | Rochdale Sixth Form College links with leading universities". Rochdale Online. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Julian Appleyard to leave Rochdale Sixth Form". Rochdale Online. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "New principal appointed at Rochdale Sixth Form College". Rochdale Online. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Karl Smith on LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "College Context and Admissions". Rochdale Sixth Form College. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "College says "goodbye" to A-levels". Rochdale Online. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Rochdale Sixth Form College". sevenarchitecture. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "Rochdale Sixth Form College". Find An Architect. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Rochdale Sixth Form College ranked number one for fifth year". Rochdale Online. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Rochdale Sixth Form College wins at prestigious Further Education awards". Rochdale Online. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.