Nelson and Colne College

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Nelson and Colne College is a college situated in the North-West of England, providing further education in the Pendle district of Lancashire. It is a tertiary college, and educates post-16 students and adult learners on two sites, at Barrowford Road and Reedyford. The Barrowford Site is currently in the process of being sold to pay for an extensive expansion at the Reedyford site. Since the departure of Dr. Alison Birkinshaw, the current leader of the college until the appointment of the next Principal is Mr. John Farrington.

1 History
2 Courses
3 Facilities
4 New build
5 External links

[edit] History

The college was founded during the reorganisation of education in Pendle in the early 1970s, being created by a merger of a number of local sixth forms. Since then, it has grown in size, currently serving the educational needs of around 1600 full-time students, and 4000-5000 part-time students, most of these students coming from the nearby towns of Colne, Nelson, and Burnley. In its latest inspection by OFSTED, the college was described as “outstanding” overall, and has since gained the accolade of becoming a Beacon College.

[edit] Courses

The college offers a variety of courses from more traditional qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels, in subjects such as Maths, English, and the sciences, to more vocational accreditations, such as NVQs in hairdressing, engineering and other disciplines. The courses are taught both in the day, and in night classes. The current A level pass rate is 99.6%, above the national average of 96.2%.

[edit] Facilities

The College's facilities for students include free computer and Internet access, the provision of a students’ common room, and a cafeteria. Facilities for teaching include a number of departmental libraries, two learning resource centres, a college intranet, and use of technology in classrooms to aid the teaching process, such as overhead projectors and interactive whiteboards.

[edit] New build

The College is currently in the process of building two extra blocks on land it owns at its Reedyford site, costing around £20 million. Projections suggest that it will be finished by the start of the 2008 academic year, which will be between September and October. It will include a new theatre, salons, art and design facilities and new classrooms.