Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
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| Shrewsbury Sixth Form College | |
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| Motto | "Live. Learn. Succeed. Progress." |
| Established | 1981 |
| Type | Sixth Form College |
| Religious affiliation | Non-denominational |
| Principal | Bill Dowell |
| Location | Priory Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 1RX England  |
| LEA | Shropshire |
| Ofsted number | 130800 |
| Staff | c.150 (8:1 student/staff ratio) [1] |
| Students | c.1300 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 16+ |
| School colours | Blue, White, Black |
| Website | ssfc.ac.uk |
| Coordinates: | |
Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational sixth form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college, which is commonly referred to as SSFC, currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,300 students[2], generally ranging between the ages of 16-19. All students are full time as the adult section was closed in 2006, and most serve a two year term. The curriculum consists of AS and A2 levels. GCSE English and Maths can only be taken alongside an A level programme as resits. [3] The college has been consistently rated amongst the top 8 Sixth Form colleges in the country since its inception, has the best A-Level performance of any state-funded institution in Shropshire[4][5], and has been awarded 'Beacon Status'. [6] The college's town centre campus includes several buildings of Grade II listed status. [7]
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[edit] Academic achievement
The college has been at the top of the sixth-form college league tables for both AS and A2 level results for many years. In 2006 AS level pass rates were at 92.5%, with 64% achieving grades A-C. For A2 level in the same period, pass levels were up to 99%, with 80% achieving A-C grades. [8]
[edit] Campus
The college is located in the town centre, in what was formerly the Priory School for Boys (hence the name of the admin building, Priory House), with 4 primary teaching sites located in the west of the town. The campus in its entirety occupies 8,616 m2[1], and the main areas are:
- Main Building - A Grade II listed building, built in 1810, which caters to the subjects of Art, History, English (Language & Literature), Maths, Chemistry, Electronics, Physics, Philosophy & Religious Studies
- New Block - A building built at the end of Priory House to expand teaching space. Currently houses the Geography, Geology, Graphics, Textiles, Product Design and Politics teaching rooms. Opened circa 1991.
- Biology Block - has rooms primarily for Biology, but there's also music and performance studies teaching areas at the western end. Constructed circa 1950.
- Cirrus House - The top floor of this building is rented; the primary subjects tought in this building include Media Studies, Film Studies and Languages. Opened in 2003.
- Learning Centre - A building located across Claremont Bank away from the main campus area; houses a study area for students with PC access available. Also houses teaching rooms for Economics, Leisure Studies, Computer Studies, ICT, Health & Social Care, Law and Accounting. Opened in 1999.
- Carnarvon Lane - this is a leased facility and is sometimes used for exams
- Dance Hall - this is a leased facility, used for exams and overspill from the Performance Studies and Music dept.
Also, the 'temporary' huts, located west of Priory House, have become a rather permanent feature - used for Psychology and Classics.
[edit] Students
The college has approximately 1,200 students, up from 650 in 1993. [2] The college is the sixth form for the following schools: Sundorne, The Grange, The Wakeman, Priory, Meole Brace, Belvidere, Corbet, Mary Webb and Church Stretton. Students from outside the 'partner schools' (listed above) are also accepted; in 2005/2006, 25% of students were from non-partner schools.[3] 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.[9]
[edit] Co-Location to London Road
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Recent proposals to co-locate the college with Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, located on the edge of the town at London Road, have met with fierce opposition.[10] This strong opposition is from a variety of sources, in particular the student body, parents, and many staff at SSFC[citation needed]. Views held against the co-location include benefits of remaining in a central location, transport issues, town centre economic impact and merger with Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology fears. 11 acres of the land at London Rd is already owned by the college. It is claimed that the move would allow the college to modernise and expand the teaching facilities, update science labs and provide performance/music areas designed for purpose as well as giving vitally required sports facilities.[11]
The opposition to co-location claim that many of the new facilities will have little, if any, improvement upon the present facilities already enjoyed.[citation needed] Vitally, students will lose use of the town facilities and some may face extra journey time and inconvenience to travel to the new site.[citation needed] In 2007, a college poll found that only 3% of students at the sixth form supported the co-location.[12]
Staff have also shown an almost unanimous opposition to the move but have now been forced to sign a gag order so that they are not able to voice their opinion to the press and have been banned from attending any of any public meetings about the co-location.[13] Further, Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham borough, has voiced opposition to the move, and produced an article expressing his views on his website.[14] In December 2007 students arranged an unofficial march against the co-location. Turnout was in the hundreds, and, supported by the Conservative MP for the borough, the students marched up Pride Hill, the major shopping thoroughfare, holding up placards with phrases such as 'Education not Co-Location'. The students expressed that the protest was in response to a repression of staff views, and threats towards students (allegedly suspension)[15] which delayed and eventually postponed an official protest planned earlier in the year. [16][17]
The online petition against co-location was closed and submitted to Shropshire County Council in early 2008, with a total of 8,829 signiatures. Presuming all of those who participated in the poll were from Shrewsbury, the amount of signiatures represents roughly 10% of the entire population of the town. [18]
[edit] External links
- [4] - Shropshire County Council page on the College.
- [5] - SSFC Ofsted report
- [6] - Department for Education and Skills page on the college.
[edit] References
- ^ SSFC
- ^ Department for Education page on the college. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Ofsted page on the college. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Save our Sixth Form. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ BBC Education - Shropshire listings. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) - 14-19 Learning - 6th form schools - Curriculum planning - Timetabling
- ^ Detailed Record
- ^ SSFC.ac.uk: College profile Retrieved on 02 February, 2008
- ^ BBC Education - Shropshire listings. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Save our Sixth Form. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Shrewsbury Co-location website. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Save our Sixth Form fact page. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ SSFC staff open letter against the co-location. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Daniel Kawczynski article on Co-location. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ The Shrewsbury Times: Archive page for Thursday, 20 December 2007
- ^ Protest over colleges plan: Shropshire Star
- ^ BBC NEWS | England | Shropshire | Student protest at college move
- ^ intro
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