Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College

Recognising a decline in the number of cadets passing to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, particularly from the north of England, in 1951 the Army Council appointed a committee to consider ways to attract young boys to take commissions in the army. The committee concluded that either a system of scholarships should be established to encourage boys to stay at school until they were 18 before graduating to Sandhurst, or that the army should open a school of its own. The second method was preferred by the council, who appointed a second committee which selected Welbeck Abbey—previously an army college for adults—as the site for the new school. The report was approved by the council, and in the autumn of 1952, work commenced to convert the abbey, which was let by the Duke of Portland to the Ministry of Defence,[11][12] into a teaching facility.[13]

Following several meetings throughout September 1953 to finalise some last details, Welbeck College was officially opened on 25 September 1953.[13][6]

The original school was located at Welbeck Abbey from its foundation in 1953 until 2005.

In 1992, female students were permitted to join the school for the first time.[14]

In 2002, the Defence Training Review resulted in a decision to expand the school to accommodate candidates for the engineering branches of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, starting from 2004. Having operated out of Welbeck Abbey for half a century,[11] the review also resulted in the decision to close the school at the abbey and open a new Defence Sixth Form College on the site of some disused barracks outside Woodhouse, near Loughborough.[15][14]

The purpose-built site was selected for its proximity to the M1 and the East Midlands Airport, and reportedly cost £38 million to develop.[16] The school officially re-opened as Welbeck – The Defence Sixth Form College on 7 December 2005.[6][14] Upon its re-opening, the school continued to admit potential officers for all three branches of the armed forces as it had started doing the year prior, and began admitting potential civil servants for the Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG) within the Ministry of Defence.[6]

On 11 March 2019, it was announced in the House of Commons that the school will be closed in 2021. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence acknowledged that the school had "produced some excellent young graduates" but said that the school was "not meeting Defence’s requirements or providing sufficient value for money".[10]

In a parliamentary debate called by then-conservative MP Nicky Morgan on 30 April 2019, Defence minister Mark Lancaster said that "the scheme as it stands has consistently failed to deliver the required number of engineers and technical officers to Defence since its establishment in 2005" and that "on average only 53 per cent of entrants have completed [the scheme] successfully, and a proportion of those have not achieved STEM degrees." He also noted that "the scheme has cost the Ministry of Defence and the taxpayer some £200,000 per student who has become a STEM graduate".[16]

Aiming to prepare students for careers in the armed forces, the school has traditionally focused primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects,[6][10] and offers a choice of 11 core subjects.[20] All students must take four AS-levels in lower-sixth including mathematics and physics, and all must continue mathematics at A-level in their final year. An enrichment programme is also available, whereby students can attain additional qualifications such as in further mathematics, developing language skills or completing an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).[17]

A 2018 Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report noted that A-level results from 2014 to 2016 were above the national average for sixth formers in maintained schools,[6] similar to the 2014 ISI report which further found that over two-thirds of results were graded A* to B in 2013.[17] Pupils of the school are given preferred entry to the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS), which aims to further prepare students for careers in the armed forces.[21] Pupils typically go on to read science, engineering or management degrees at one of 11 universities on the scheme.[21][22]

The school CCF on parade outside the main building

Unlike most schools, participation in the school's combined cadet force (CCF) is a compulsory part of the curriculum for all students.[21][17] The school CCF does not follow the usual cadet training programme, instead holding sessions twice per week and placing more emphasis on skills and leadership, in order to better prepare students for officer training.[23]

The school CCF holds an annual passing out parade to an audience of family, friends and invited guests. Awards are given to the best cadet from each section and two special awards—the Welbeck Sword of Honour and the Prince Philip Medal—are also presented.[22]