Shrewsbury Sixth Form College

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational selective sixth-form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,650 students,[3] generally ranging between the ages of 16 to 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.[4] The college was ranked as the 17th-best sixth-form college in 2012 (out of 400 institutions),[5] has the best A-Level performance of any state-funded institution in Shropshire,[6] and has been awarded 'Beacon Status'.[7] 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.[8][9]

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
Address
Priory Road

Shrewsbury
,
Shropshire
,
SY1 1RX

England
Coordinates52.70889°N 2.76028°W / 52.70889; -2.76028
Information
TypeSixth Form College
Established1981 (1981)
Local authorityShropshire Council
Department for Education URN130800 Tables
OfstedReports
ChairmanGordon Channon[1]
PrincipalJames Staniforth[2]
Assistant PrincipalsStephen McAlinden
(Student Support)
Paul Morgan
(Curriculum and Quality)
Staffc.140
GenderCo-educational
Age16 to 19
Enrolmentc.1,650 (9,450 inc. Shrewsbury College)
Colour(s)Blue, White, Black
     
Websitewww.scg.ac.uk

History

Shrewsbury Sixth Form College was founded in 1981 and has developed into one of the top sixth forms in the country.

The Grade II listed main building, built in 1910, as viewed from Claremont Bank.

The college has been at the top of the sixth-form college league tables for both AS and A2 level results for many years. Nationally the college was rated as 12th- and 27th-best in 2004 and 2005, respectively, with students having an average of 305.1 UCAS points (approximately ABB/ABC at A-Level) in 2004.[10] In 2009 AS level pass rates were at 94.7%, with 66% achieving grades A-C. For A2 level in the same period, pass levels were up to 98.7%, with 79% achieving A-C grades.[11] In the 2010 rankings, the college had the second best A-Level performance in Shropshire, after Concord College, superseding William Brookes School, Shrewsbury School and Shrewsbury High School.[12] In 2012, the college ranked well in The Sunday Times Schools Guide; performing well against both state and fee-paying schools, the college placed 17th nationally.[5] In 2013, the college achieved a 98% pass rate, with more than half of the students obtaining A*-B grades.[13]

SSFC performs well against local fee-paying schools, with the average A/AS points per student at 852,[14] versus 873 for Shrewsbury School[15] and 876 for Shrewsbury High School.[16] This is higher than both the Local Authority (738) and national (731) results, and for comparison, nearby Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology achieves a score of 574.[17] In 2009 the college surpassed Shrewsbury School, becoming the third best A-Level institution in Shropshire after Concord College and Shrewsbury High School.[18]

Many students go on to study at Russell Group universities. In 2013 and 2014 respectively, six[19] and seven[20] students were offered places at Oxford or Cambridge.

Proposed Co-Location

In November 2004 the college and nearby Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology announced plans to relocate and build a combined campus, with Shrewsbury College's existing London Road site earmarked as a potential location.[21] The colleges claimed that existing property "lacks modern facilities and is, in some cases, not fit for purpose".[22] The college's then-principal, Bill Dowell, wrote in the Shropshire Star declaring that "co-location is in the very best interests of the students".[23]

The proposals were met with resistance - with business owners in the town centre objecting the proposals early on;[24] the local MP's opposition to the proposals[25][26] (including a brief discussion in Parliament[27]); student protests (joined by the local MP);[25][26] and public consultations.[25] The colleges branded the local MP a "chief difficulty" for his opposition to their proposals.[28]

In November 2008, nearly 4 years after the colleges announced their plans, Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council voted against the proposals 11 to 2.[29] Shortly after the college formally withdrew from proposals and were "revisiting other options".[30]

Merger

In November 2015 the college alongside Shrewsbury College and New College, Telford announced a proposal to merge,[31] in which each college would retain its own principal, "individual culture", and students would continue to apply to each college separately.[32] In February 2016 public consultation began where the proposed name of the combined college was announced to be "Central Shropshire Colleges Group".[33][34]

In April 2016 following public consultation, New College backed out and proceeded with a separate merger with Telford College of Arts and Technology; the college and Shrewsbury College continued with their merger to occur on 31 July 2016 with the name "Shrewsbury Colleges Group".[35][36]

In July 2016 the college merged with Shrewsbury College (based on London Road) to form the Shrewsbury Colleges Group.[37]

In the merged college's first Ofsted report, the college scored Inadequate in both "Behaviour and attitudes" and "Leadership and management" with the remaining scored at Good.[38] The college attempted to, unsuccessfully, overturn the report before it was published[39] - with Ofsted upholding the grading upon their revisit.[40]

Campuses
The college's Wakeman site, acquired in 2013 following the closure of Wakeman School.[41]

The college, is located on the banks of the River Severn. The Welsh Bridge Campus occupies the main and ancillary buildings of the former Priory Grammar School for Boys (itself built on the site of a medieval Augustinian friary).

English Bridge Campus (Abbey Foregate) – comprising Wakeman Hall and sports fields – Courses: Art & Design including Food Technology, Sport & PE, Humanities (English, Classical Civilisation, Religious Studies, Politics & History), Health & Social Care, Music & Dramatic Arts.

Welsh Bridge Campus (Priory Road) – comprising Austin, Priory Hall, Priory House, Quarry, Severn – Courses: Work Applied subjects (Business, ICT, Computer Science, Law & Economics), Social Science (Sociology, Geography, Psychology), Sciences, including electronics, Modern Foreign Languages, and Maths.

Students

The college has approximately 1,650 students. It is the sixth form for the following schools: Shrewsbury Academy (formally The Grange and Sundorne schools), Priory School, Meole Brace School, Belvidere School, Corbet School, Mary Webb School and Science College and Church Stretton School. Students from outside the 'partner schools' (listed above) are also accepted. Students in Shropshire are additionally able to go to other sixth-form colleges, which exist in Oswestry, Ludlow and Telford; however, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College has the best results of any state-funded institution in ceremonial Shropshire, including the Telford & Wrekin, and is therefore popular with all students in the county.

A-Level performance is comparable to the nearby independent fee-paying Shrewsbury School and Shrewsbury High School, resulting in a noticeable presence of previously independent-school students at the college.[6] Female students outnumber male students. The percentage of students from a minority ethnic heritage is small, mirroring the profile in the locality.[42] The college has a fair representation system with elected student presidents for each year representing the views and working attitudes of the current students.

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "College Governance". Shrewsbury Colleges Group. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  2. "The Senior Leadership Team". Shrewsbury Colleges Group. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  3. "Department for Education page on the college". Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
  4. "Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Inspection Report May 2003". Ofsted. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
  5. "SSFC ranked in Top 20 of Sixth Form Colleges Across the Country". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  6. "BBC Education – Shropshire listings". BBC News. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
  7. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) – 14–19 Learning – 6th form schools – Curriculum planning – Timetabling Archived 6 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "SHREWSBURY SIXTH FORM COLLEGE MAIN BUILDING". Historic England. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  9. "Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, The Priory". Historic England. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  10. http://www.hbjsh.com/lx/yg/3top50.pdf%5B%5D
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Secondary schools and colleges in Shropshire". BBC News. 12 January 2011.
  13. "Results Success For Students". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  14. "BBC News, School league tables 2007, Shropshire LA". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  15. "BBC News, School league tables 2007, Shropshire LA". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  16. "BBC News, School league tables 2007, Shropshire LA". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  17. "BBC News, School league tables 2007, Shropshire LA". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  18. "Secondary schools in Shropshire". BBC News. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  19. "Results Success for Students". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  20. "Oxbridge Success for Students". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  21. "Colleges announce combined campus". BBC News. BBC. 11 November 2004. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  22. "Shrewsbury Colleges Co-Location Project FAQs" (PDF). Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  23. Dowell, Bill. "Everyone wins if colleges co-locate". Shropshire Star. Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  24. "Businessman's colleges plea". Shropshire Star. 14 December 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  25. "Student protest at college move". BBC News. BBC. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  26. "Protest over colleges plan". Shropshire Star. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  27. "Shrewsbury Sixth-form College". UK Parliament. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  28. "Colleges brand MP a 'difficulty'". Shropshire Star. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  29. "Joint college site plans rejected". BBC News. BBC. 4 November 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  30. "Co-location bid scrapped after college withdraws". Shropshire Star. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  31. "Three Shropshire colleges announce merger plan". BBC. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  32. "Three Shropshire colleges propose merger to create largest Sixth Form College in the country". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  33. "Consultation over Shropshire colleges' merger under way". Shropshire Star. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  34. "Public consultation over merger of three Shropshire Colleges now open". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  35. "Shrewsbury colleges to merge - while New College in Telford looks to merge with TCAT". Shropshire Star. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  36. "Three College Merger Proposal Update". Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  37. "Merger is 'exciting' for Shrewsbury college students". Shropshire Star. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  38. "Inspection of Shrewsbury Colleges Group November 2019". Ofsted. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  39. Mersinoglu, Yasemin Craggs. "'I've never experienced anything like this': Shrewsbury College in grade 4 battle". FE Week. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  40. Mersinoglu, Yasemin Craggs. "Shrewsbury college loses grade 4 battle with Ofsted". FE Week. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  41. "Shrewsbury Sixth Form College to take over Wakeman School site". Shropshire Star. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  42. "Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Inspection Report May 2008". Ofsted. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
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