The History of City College, Plymouth
1887-2013
John Van der Kiste
View from Innovation Building towards
Plymouth Sound
Contents
Part One to 1974
1
Part Two 1974 to 1985
10
Part Three 1986 to 2013
16
College Development Milestones
32
References33
Bibliography34
Pa r t
1
One
to
1974
Devonport Annexe, formerly Devonport
Technical College for Science and Arts
In 1887 the Mayor of Plymouth, Mr W.H. Alger, called a public meeting to consider ways by
which the town council could celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It was decided that
contributions should be collected for the Imperial Institute in London, and also for a separate
local memorial, the form of which would be decided by a special committee. Members of
the latter agreed the local Jubilee memorial should take the form of raising a fund for the
establishment of a Science, Art and Technical School, in cooperation with the Town Council.
Part of the old cattle market site at Tavistock Road was given by the Corporation for the
purpose, and on 30 September 1889 the two limestone foundation stones of the ‘Victoria
Jubilee Memorial Science, Art and Technical Schools’ were laid. Three years later the building
was completed and the schools opened for a winter session of university extension lectures.
A civic ceremony on 7 October 1892 marked the official opening of the Schools and the
formal transfer of the buildings, built at a cost of £5,400, from the care of the Jubilee Memorial
Committee to their new owners, the Town Council.
The basement contained the carpenters’ shop, plumbers’ shop, mechanical and electrical
engineering shop with gas engine, dynamo and screw-cutting lathe, plus rooms for cookery
lessons, wood-carving and casting. On the first floor was a drawing office for machine and
building construction, physics laboratory, lecture theatre with preparation room, mathematical
and other classrooms, an elementary art room, committee room and offices. On the second
floor were the chemistry laboratory, lecture room for physiology, hygiene and chemistry,
dressmaking room, large antique room, life room and modelling room.
2
Artisans, clerks, teachers and other employed persons needing further education in science
and art subjects could attend evening classes for a small fee. Classes in mechanical and
electrical engineering, plumbing, carpentry, typography, dressmaking and woodwork were held
up to City and Guilds standard. Instruction in chemistry, physics, biology and pharmacy were
recognised by the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, and medical students could complete
their first year’s examination locally home. In the year 1898-9 800 students attended, under Mr
J Burns Brown, BSc, Head Master of the School of Science and Technology, and Mr Frederick
Shelley, ARCA, Head Master of the Art School. In 1899 the Town Council approved an
extension which was completed four years later.
Inspired by Plymouth’s example, in 1892 Devonport Borough Council nominated a Technical
Instruction Committee to report on existing Science and Art classes in the Borough, and to
seek suitable premises in which to coordinate and extend these classes. Rooms at 38 George
Street, Devonport, were leased for five years at an annual rent of £65 while the Council
negotiated with the War Department to purchase a plot of ground three-quarters of an acre
near Devonport Station.
Recruitment for students began in September 1893. 425 students were registered for lessons
applicable to the trades and industries carried on within the Borough, and lessons began
on 18 September 1893. As the premises soon proved inadequate, the Technical Instruction
Committee decided a permanent building was required. The lowest tender received for the
construction was £13,268.
3
The foundation stone of the Devonport Municipal Science, Art and Technical School in
Paradise Road, Stoke, was laid on Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Day, 22 June 1897. In the
centre of the north wall, opposite the main entrance, was a stained glass window representing
the development of naval architecture during the career of Sir William White, a former
dockyard apprentice who became Director of Naval Construction and was elected a Freeman
of the Borough that same day. Two years later the completed building was opened. A plaque is
accordingly inscribed:
The erection of this school building was commenced in the year 1897 in commemoration of the 60 years glorious reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and on completion, was on the 25th Day of July 1899, duly inaugurated and dedicated to the public use and benefit by the Right Worshipful Mayor W Hornbrook Esquire in the presence of and with the assistance of Sir William H White, KCB, LLB, Dr. Sce, FRS
The basement housed rooms for mechanical engineering, woodwork, a clay-modelling room,
plumbers’ workshop and the building’s engine and boiler room. On the ground floor were five
classrooms, a large lecture hall doubling as a room for technical drawing, a committee room
and the secretary’s office. Chemistry and physics laboratories and a lecture room were at the
west end of the first floor, with three art rooms and a commercial room at the eastern end.
Classes were held in connection with the Science and Art Department, the City and Guilds of
London Institution, the Society of Arts and the Worshipful Company of Plumbers. About 80%
of the students on the mechanical science courses came from the dockyard.
Between 1898 and 1936 the Paradise Road building also housed the Devonport Municipal
Secondary School for Girls, which subsequently moved into separate premises in Outland
Road.
4
The Plymouth Science, Art and Technical Schools, Tavistock Road, opened 1892
The Plymouth Science, Art and Technical Schools, Tavistock Road, opened 1892
Devonport Technical School
The
The Plymouth Science, Art and Technical Schools, Tavistock Road, opened 1892
5
Devonport Railway Station, 1927,
demolished 1971
6
In 1914 the Three Towns (Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse) formally amalgamated. The
two schools, the Victoria Jubilee Schools and Devonport Technical College for Science and
Arts, followed suit, and were henceforth known as the Plymouth and Devonport Technical
School. In 1926 it was designated a college, and in 1932 it absorbed the Plymouth School of
Navigation. This had been founded in 1862, initially located in Gascoyne Place and moved to
Durnford Street around 1908, but attendance slumped during the economic crisis of 1931. As
a result it became part of the Mathematics and Physics Department of the Technical College.
In November 1951 work began on building a new, greatly enlarged college. The foundation
stone was laid in May 1952, and the new Technical College, Glanville Street, was opened in
March 1955 by Dr Alexander Fleck, Chairman of ICI. According to the souvenir programme,
it promised to be "only the first instalment of a plan for a new Plymouth Technical College which
will eventually extend over an area bounded by Tavistock Road, James Street, Coburg Street, and
the northern side of Portland Square."1 The original building comprised four floors. Additional
workshops, laboratories, an enlarged library, refectory and other facilities were built from 1960
onwards. In 1962 the College became Plymouth College of Technology, one of only 25 such
regional colleges in the country.
In May 1966 the Government produced a White Paper, 'A Plan for Polytechnics and other
Colleges'. As a result of subsequent legislation a limited number of authorities, one of which
was Plymouth, were invited to offer themselves as 'centres of excellence'. The Local Education
Authority and the City Council agreed to this and to take steps to create a Polytechnic
within the City, to provide higher education courses of degree, diploma and similar standards
for students aged 18 and above. This would entail the large volume of less advanced work
being separated from the Polytechnic type of work and transferred to a College of Further
Education, organized and administered as a separate entity.
7
Approval for building a new College within this remit was given in October 1967, and the City
chose a site at Kings Road opposite Devonport Technical College, a 10.7 -acre triangular area
previously occupied by the Devonport Southern railway station which had closed in 1964.
Tunnels from this time still exist under the site. It was purchased from British Rail as part of
a package deal costing £7,500. Six months later the City was required by the Department of
Education and Science to reduce expenditure by 10 per cent. Next month the project was cut
out of the 1968-69 building programme, and authorisation for starting the College was not
confirmed until November 1969.
Plymouth College of Technology officially ceased to exist on 31 December 1969. After that
university level courses were transferred to the Polytechnic, and all the others to the College
of Further Education. The latter was designated to cater for a variety of fulltime, part-time
and block-release courses, covering training over a range of craft and technician skills leading
to National Certificates and Diplomas. The first Principal of the College, William (‘Bill’) Foster,
formerly Deputy Principal of Coventry Technical College, took up his appointment in May
1970.
The College Prospectus for the 1970-71 session listed six Departments, namely Commerce
and General Studies; Construction Studies; Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering;
Maritime Studies; and Science. Due to delays in acquiring the Kings Road site and starting the
building work, the College lost its place in the Department of Education & Science ‘starts’ list
for that year. As a result of strong representation on the part of the local authority, and visits
by the inspectorate early the following year, the situation was soon rectified.
Nevertheless, for a time the College operated from 35 different annexes scattered throughout
Plymouth, with administrative headquarters in the Polytechnic building. Some staff, and
accommodation, were shared by the College and Polytechnic.
8
The annexes included Sherwell Church Hall, adjacent to the Polytechnic (Physics and
Chemistry lectures), King Street Church Hall (Mathematics and Computing), Devonport
Annexe, Paradise Road (GCE 0 and A levels); Durnford Street (Radio Officer classes); and
Prince Rock (Automobile Engineering).
By November 1970 the College had 4,000 students, 140 full-time teaching staff, clerical,
technical, technician and part-time teaching staff. In the following year it was amalgamated with
the Dockyard Technical College. In January 1972 work on building the new College was begun,
overshadowed by the uncertain economic climate and objections from residents of Albemarle
Villas at the siting of a new college near their homes. It was initially expected to be ready for
occupation in late 1973, but delays resulted in opening a year later than scheduled.
For students and staff (5,728 students and 190 full-time lecturers in early 1972), the premises
could not be completed soon enough. A report in the press of February 1972 painted a
semi-Dickensian portrait of marine radio officer students working in the attic and basement
of a four-storey Georgian terraced house in Durnford Street; other students from the former
College of Technology were housed “in makeshift accommodation in church halls, disused
beerbottling plants, a former convent, obsolete schools, a cluster of huts.”2 Their studies were
generally carried out in premises overcrowded with machines, with outdoor toilet facilities,
canteens and common rooms falling far short of statutory minimum requirements, and the
frustrating time-wasting element involved in travelling between annexes for different lectures.
A decision to incorporate the College of Domestic Science into the College, adding two new
departments, Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management, and Community Studies, and a
directive that the local authority must assume responsibility for the Devonport Dockyard
technical school students, almost doubled the original projected cost of the new college. The
final figure was estimated at almost £4,000,000, in addition to the interim expense of retaining
the annexes at a probable total cost of £250,000.
9
Pa r t
Tw o
1974
to
1985
10
IN SEPTEMBER 1974 the Kings Road eight-storey tower block, Phase I, was officially
opened. The College was now able to move out of the mechanical and electrical
engineering areas in the Polytechnic, withdraw from use of the HM Dockyard
Apprentice Training Centre, and close some of the annexes. With 8,000 full-time and
part-time students, it was claimed that the College was now operating in purpose-built
accommodation which had no equal this side of Gloucester.3 The block was flanked by
the refectory, library and administration offices, and abutted at the back by single-storey
workshops.
On the occasion of its opening, Mr Foster promised that the College would be used
partly as a community centre with some facilities, including the assembly hall and
refectory, being made available to local residents as well as to staff and students. "While
a college of this type is normally associated with vocational studies - preparing people for
careers or assisting them with jobs they already hold - nevertheless an institution of this
nature has an increasingly important part to play in the non-vocational - recreational - field
and in local community activities."4
The Phase II buildings came into use in April 1975, enabling the College to withdraw
completely from the Polytechnic premises, and close some annexes, wherever possible
those furthest away from the main Kings Road site. Nevertheless, even at this stage
only 40% of the College was thus concentrated. 60% of the teaching and work of the
College was still carried on in the 16 scattered annexes, several of which were in poor
condition, with defects such as leaking roofs and heating breakdowns.
W B. (Bill) Foster,
Principal 1970 - 1988
11
Despite the inconvenience, the building work in progress had its lighter moments: “A
temporary, thin wall separating the Phase I 'usable' Library from the Phase II 'in building' section
of the Library did little to restrict noise and dust, particularly when air hammers were operating.
Instructions shouted to workmen on one side were - occasionally - obeyed or replied to by students
on the other! The temporary walkway through the central pool area enabling students to reach the
Refectory worked well - most of the time - but several immersions in the pool did result. Student
cars did become mixed up with the contractors' lorries and vice versa. Students were asked where
sand was to be delivered - and lost no opportunity in providing bizarre answers!" 5
By November 1975 the College was free of contractors’ staff. During the academic year
September 1974-July 1975, 8,800 students had been enrolled, of whom 1,750 were fulltime and sandwich. In the subsequent year September 1975-July 1976, 10,251 students were
enrolled. Of these 2,128 were full-time and sandwich, 4,196 were on day or block release
courses from local and regional industry and commerce, 2,970 evening-only and short course
students, 307 correspondence course students and 650 children on link (attending some
lessons at the College) and sampling (secondary students visiting the College to watch work
in progress with a view to helping them select a career) courses from local schools.
Additional plans for the College’s consolidation, including a second tower block, were placed
on hold because of the difficult economic situation. Financial constraints and cuts in public
expenditure, for example, meant that in September 1976 no classes with fewer than twelve
enrolments were allowed to start; sampling and link courses were stopped; and student
course hours were reduced. The number of students seeking full-time places was far in excess
of the places available. Non-vocational courses were hit hardest, but effects were also felt in
the vocational fields and in some cases a strict rationing
12
of places was inevitable. It was a regrettable fulfillment of the prediction that “the College did
not meet the demands placed on it by the community and was not able to do so because the
resources which it needed were not available for it.”6 Contrary to previous practice, enrolment
ceased after the start of the academic year, so that no classes would be enrolled at Christmas.7
The number of students dropped from 10,250 in September 1975-July 1976 to 9,700 in
September 1977-July 1978. During the next academic year, September 1978-July 1979,
student numbers rose to 10,750. Of these, 2,460 were full-time or sandwich, reflecting an 18%
increase over the previous year. 3,773 were ‘on release’ from local industry and commerce
for ‘full part time day or part time day/evening courses’, reflecting a 4% decrease upon the
previous year which was itself a decrease upon 1976-77. The lesson was noted that industry
and commerce were not taking on apprentices or trainees to whom they had to give day or
block release over several years.8
Enrolment in September 1980 established what was coming to be seen as ‘the norm’, a rise
in full-time students, particularly those under 18, and a drop again in part-time. At a time of
commercial and industrial recession, with employers not taking on such a large labour force,
and with automation meaning output could be maintained with a lower work force, in the
absence of jobs it was anticipated that young people would look to college education to
provide them with skills and education to make them more attractive to the labour market.
Nevertheless other factors were emerging, causing full-time attendance to be regarded
positively, and not just as a refuge from the lack of jobs. Employers realized increasingly
that a full-time product was partially or wholly trained, at no direct expense to them, and
immediately usable in the work situation, thus usually needing no further ‘release’. Young
people were quick to appreciate this, and an increasing number now arrived direct from
school without looking into the labour market.9
13
At one stage, it was feared that completion of the main building at Kings Road was unlikely
in the foreseeable future, and plans were put on hold for some years. Fortunately, policies
for expansion in other directions proved more fruitful. In 1973 it had been suggested that
a School of Chiropody was needed to serve the needs of the south west. Plymouth was
regarded as the best site, and a firm proposal was submitted to the appropriate educational
and medical authorities in July 1977. In September 1980 the School of Chiropody, initially part
of the Department of Science & Mathematics, came into being at North Road, the only such
establishment in the westcountry. 19 students were enrolled for the three-year course from
the 40 applicants interviewed, patients were accepted for treatment from the beginning of
November, and the School was officially opened the following month by the President of the
Society of Chiropodists.The first intake of students who completed the course in June 1983
achieved a 100% pass rate.
Completion of the new Hotel and Catering block (which was to result in the long-overdue
closure of the antiquated 1940s-built premises at Portland Square) was approved in 1980
at a cost of £2,250,000. The foundation stone of the new building was laid in April 1982,
and the premises opened in October 1983. As a result the College was ideally placed to
take advantage of growing interest in all aspects of the hotel and catering sector, including
vegetarianism, being the first in the country to offer a two-year diploma course in Vegetarian
Catering.
The School of Maritime Studies merged with the Polytechnic faculty in September 1984. For
several years this had provided the only example of ‘joint usage’ between the College and the
Polytechnic. Within a few years, as a result of subsequent contraction in the industry, maritime
courses were no longer offered in Plymouth.
14
By the mid-80s the College was well established as the major local provider of vocational
education for a catchment area extending as far north as Tavistock and as far east as Ivybridge,
as well as east Cornwall. The establishment of the Saltash annexe to the Mid Cornwall College
of Further Education in 1984/85 somewhat diminished the latter role. It had also become a
regional centre for a number of courses in electronics and certain construction and business
specialisms, and enjoyed national recruitment in chiropody, supervisory management and
some catering courses. Overseas students were recruited into a number of courses, and direct
links for student exchange were forged with educational establishments in France, Germany
and Holland within the areas of hotel and catering and electrical engineering.
Aerial view of the College
15
Pa r t
Three
1986
to
2013
16
IN MARCH 1986 a team of H.M.lnspectors carried out an inspection on behalf of the
Department of Education and Science as part of a national exercise covering non-advanced
further education in England and Wales. The working party spent five days in the College
observing classes, meeting staff and students and inspecting accommodation and facilities and
their report, published in October 1987, provided a detailed 'snapshot' of the College. Part
1 was divided into reports on the origins of the College and its socio-economic context;
College aims, organisation and management; Accommodation and resources; Courses; Staff
and staff development, Students, Teaching and learning; and Links with industry and commerce.
Part 2 examined the ten departments existing at the time in detail.
In its summary, the report maintained that "Overall the college is efficiently managed. Clear
aims and objectives have been set for the college as a whole and the management system at
senior level is operating effectively and efficiently in pursuit of these goals ... Academic and course
development as well as resource management are rooted firmly in a clearly defined departmental
system. Though this system has served the college well in several respects there is some scope
for considering whether it can meet the future needs of those areas of the curriculum and
management which demand ‘cross disciplinary and cross college’ co-operation and development.”10
It also commented on the unsatisfactory state of some College accommodation - particularly
the poor condition of annexes at Sutton and Wyndham Street - and its effect on the
standards of teaching and learning achieved, as well as on the morale of staff and students.
Also highlighted were the urgent need for improvement and updating of the level and
standard of some equipment and resources, particularly in Mechanical Engineering and
Computing; innovative and valuable developments in the provision of Euro-courses in Hotel
and Catering, and in Open Learning courses; the need for the development of an overall
College policy on welfare and guidance, to ensure that all services available to students were
used effectively; and the links between departments and local industry well established over
17
the years, which would benefit from more effective overall mechanisms for marketing its
courses, developing new ones, and for monitoring changing needs as well as performance.
Employment trends in Plymouth, it noted, had followed national patterns, with a decline in
the traditional engineering, motor vehicle and construction trades and corresponding growth
in the service areas of catering, business studies, social services, and above all in the new
technologies of microelectronics and information processing.
Similar observations were shortly to be made in a history of the city published in 1991,
referring to a new climate as regards education and employment: “...its [the College’s] intake
fluctuates because the provision of courses reflects changes in the local labour market and local
needs. In general, this has reflected the decline of traditional heavy engineering and craft-based
employment in the vicinity and the move towards service industries. In addition, there is a trend
towards more young people seeking qualifications; whereas the majority used to leave school
unqualified in the 1960s, only 13% of boys and 9% of girls did so nationally in 1988. In the FE
sector this means that there are now more classes for A levels and for subjects such as catering,
computing and office skills. The introduction of Business and Technician Education Council (BffEC)
courses, Youth Training Schemes (YTS) and now more generalised National Vocational Qualifications,
has meant a move towards national validation of courses in further education. Nearly all young
people are able to gain a qualification in some field in the 1990s, and there is an increasing
range of vocational awards as well as academic ones as a result of efforts to build links between
education and employment.” 11
18
During the academic year 1986-87, extensive reorganisation within the College took place. To
quote the Principal’s Report for that year, “Further Education in general has now accepted that
stability is a luxury which will be rare in its appearance. Nationally the variations in demands, ideas
and ‘initiatives’ from the Manpower Services Commission together with the changing attitudes of
validating or examining bodies, the emergence of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications
(NCVQ), the launch of the Open College, the emphasis upon Access and INSET all create a fluid
backcloth with no guarantee of even short term stability. Against this backcloth and superimposed
upon it are the local changes and varying demands. Within the College ... two Assistant Principals
appeared, seven of the nine Departments disappeared - and the other two changed in character
- six new Departments appeared, two Heads of Department left the College and four new ones
arrived. There were massive staff movements within Departments and new allegiances had to be
formed.” 12
Guardino (Ross) Rospigliosi,
Principal 1988 - 2000
19
The old Engineering (Electrical and Mechanical) and Construction Studies Departments were
merged into a newly formed Faculty of Technology. It was now responsible for running courses
in the broad fields of Construction, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical and
Production Engineering and Computer Aided Engineering, and absorbed the Department of
Information and Computer Technology from the old Science and Mathematics Department.
Also affected by major upheavals was the old Humanities Department. A large part of its
work - the GCE, CPVE and General Studies programmes - joined with much of the old
Department of Science and Mathematics to become the new Department of General and
Tertiary Studies. Modern Languages, Physical and Leisure Studies and Social Studies joined
with the old Community Studies Department, to become the new Department of Personal
and Community Services, to which was added the Caring programme from the old Vocational
Preparation Department. The new Department was relocated at two new annexes, Stoke
Damerel and Albert Road. Travel and Tourism Studies was shared with the Hotel Catering and
Institutional Management Department.
In July 1988 Mr Foster retired as Principal of the College. He was succeeded by Guardino
(‘Ross’) Rospigliosi, formerly Principal of Richmond-on-Thames Tertiary College and was
subsequently awarded the OBE in the 1989 new year’s honours for services to education. In
retirement he maintained his involvement with various national education committees. He
died in February 2011, aged 82.
In October 1990 it was announced that a major job-training centre for Plymouth would be
set up within Devonport Dockyard. The College would take over the running of the yard’s
training centre in Goschen Yard at Saltash Road, 1.3 miles from Kings Road, using it to train
dockyard apprentices as well as engineering and computing students, and it was proposed
to transfer the Faculty of Technology there. A 21-year lease for the yard from the Ministry of
Defence was secured by the College in June 1993, and £2,000,000, of which half was provided
20
by a European Regional Development Fund grant, was spent on converting the buildings.
A government statement in March 1991 announced the establishment of a new independent
sector of post-16 education. All maintained Further Education Colleges providing full-time
education, including Tertiary and Sixth Form Colleges, would be taken out of local authority
control with effect from 30 September 1992. From that date, the College ceased to operate
as part of Devon County Council. Full financial separation came on 1 April 1993.
By the end of the academic year 1993-94, Plymouth College of Further Education had around
20,000 registrations/enrolments, 4,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, actually 12,500
people studying, equivalent to about 5% of the population of Plymouth. The teaching was still
scattered around six annexes. When the new centre at Goschen Yard opened in September
1994, four (all but the one at Devonport, opposite the Kings Road site, and North Road)
closed. These last two sites closed a few years later, and Devonport Annexe was converted
into flats.
The original plans for Goschen Yard had changed in nature by then. It became a Centre of
Excellence for academic, A-levels and GCSEs and caring courses. The Faculty of Technology
was installed at Kings Road, which also housed the Department of Hotel, Leisure & Beauty, the
Department of Construction Studies, the Department of Open & Flexible Learning and the
Plymouth Management & Business Centre. Courses offered at the College vary in length from
one day to six years, covering the full spectrum from learning difficulties to postgraduate, with
a range of options in addition to full-time and part-time, including drop-in provision at the
Open Access Centre and Open Distance Learning programmes.
21
The Goschen Centre
22
It was noted in 1996 that over 600 Plymouth CFE students had progressed to higher
education in the previous two years; and that of those former students for whom records had
been kept, only 3.3% were registered as unemployed, compared to 9.9% in June 1995 for the
Plymouth travel to work area. Moreover a further inspection of courses and resources by the
Department of Education & Science, conducted over a period of 15 months and completed
in May 1996, placed the College in the top ten in England for cross-college grades based on
the results published to date. It scored Grade 1, the highest possible, in responsiveness and
range of position; equipment and learning resources (less than 10% of colleges inspected
achieved Grade 1 in this field); accommodation; and hospitality and catering teaching. The
College’s investment in Information Technology was praised by inspectors, with over five
hundred workstations, a Collegewide communications network and good software range
giving students and staff excellent access. The inspectors also noted the “specialist equipment
of industrial standard” in hospitality and catering, hairdressing and beauty therapy, and in health
and social care.
Two years later the city of Plymouth was granted Unitary Authority status. Within the
Authority boundaries there were two higher education institutions, the University of Plymouth
and the College of St Mark & St John. Plymouth College of Art & Design, with which the
college worked closely, is a specialist art college. There were 19 secondary schools, 14
comprehensives and five with selective entry. Apart from two comprehensives, all schools
catered for the 16-18 age group. The College was therefore operating within an extremely
competitive environment. Seven of the comprehensives were designated Community Colleges
offering adult education.
23
In partnership, two of these providers and the College offered a coherent well-planned
programme of adult education across Plymouth.
In addition to the College’s provision at the two main sites, Kings Road and the
Goschen Centre, there were three Neighbourhood Colleges at Martin’s Gate,
North Road West and Camel’s Head, all specifically chosen to offer education in the
community. By the end of 1999, the College could look back on a significant investment
of approximately £10 million on accommodation and equipment over six years,
resulting in outstanding facilities at the Goschen Centre, including the development of
personal study areas, performing arts facilities and student recreation and social facilities.
Continuing investment in Information Technology resulted in a ratio of computers to
FTE students of better than 1:6. Major attention was given to improved access for the
disabled. Further annual expenditure was planned to 2001, most significantly with the
conversion of the former students’ refectory at Kings Road to a new sports hall, and a
new extension of the main Kings Road block on the former car parking site, including
new teaching areas and the Innovation Restaurant.
In November 2000 an inspection was carried out by the Further Education Funding
Council. It concluded that the proportion of good or outstanding teaching in the
College was significantly better than the national average, with particularly high
percentages of excellent teaching being observed in Business, Leisure & Tourism, and
Basic Skills. Grade I’s were awarded for Resources and Support for Students, which
were recognised as the areas of greatest importance to most customers.
The excellent results and grades received by departments made a fitting valediction for
the Principal, who retired at the beginning of December 2000 and was succeeded by
David Percival, formerly Principal of Northampton College.
David Percival,
Principal 2000-2005
24
In October 2004 the College announced plans to fit two 6Kw wind turbines on the
roof of the £3.2 Innovation Centre at the Kings Road site. This would involve the
refurbishment of the main tower block, implementing green building principles and
cladding two facades with photovoltaic cells that generate electricity from the sun. It
was a major part of an initiative to produce examples of environmental good practice
as well as research into the barriers preventing the adoption of green building methods.
The electricity thus produced would feed into the building’s main supply, reducing
dependence on carbon-based fuels.
Funded through a £15,000 grant from EDF Energy’s Green Energy fund, a ClearSkies
government grant and an EU project, BRITA in PuBs, the turbines were fitted in
November 2005, thus finalising the original vision for the Centre which was designed to
inspire others to include environmental design in their own buildings. It was believed
that the College was the only one in the country at the time which had wind turbines
fitted to a building. Electricity generated by the turbines went into the main supply of
the building and was used for lighting and powering equipment including computers,
pumps and catering appliances. It was anticipated that the amount of electricity thus
produced in one year would be enough to supply ten average houses with all their
power needs, apart from heating and hot water.
In the summer of 2005 Mr Percival resigned to take up the post of Principal at
Northbrook College, Sussex, as from September that year. Bill Grady, former Principal
at North Trafford College, Manchester, was appointed interim Principal for the autumn
term 2005 while a permanent successor was sought. Mrs Viv Gillespie, formerly VicePrincipal of Warwickshire College with responsibility for quality, curriculum and planning,
joined at the start of the spring term 2006, thus becoming the College’s first female
Principal.
Viv Gillespie,
Principal 2006 - 2011
25
During the year 2006/7 the public areas of the Hospitality training facilities were modernised,
resulting in the creation of Cité Restaurant and later Cité Brasserie. Also in October 2006
the Hospitality department was awarded College of the Year by the Academy of Food &
Wine Service. The College was singled out for providing young people in the industry with
outstanding support and encouragement.
Later that same a year a decision was taken to rebrand the College. Managers felt that the
existing name failed to reflect the broad work of its role as a provider of everything from
GCSEs and A-levels to Higher Education Foundation Degrees validated by the University of
Plymouth. As from January 2007 it became City College, Plymouth.
One year later, plans were unveiled to sell the college campus at Goschen. Major
consideration had been given to moving completely to another site altogether. Millbay
was regarded as providing unique opportunities for transformation as part of the ongoing
regeneration of Plymouth City Centre under the ‘Vision for Plymouth’ plan launched in 2003,
and this was initially seen as the favoured option, but no site large enough could be found in
the regenerated area.
A decision was then taken to move all facilities to Kings Road. The intention was that the
latter would be demolished and rebuilt as part of a £70 million plan, subject to funding
from the Learning and Skills Council. All the existing buildings, many of which were by then
over thirty years old, were to be demolished and make way for state-of-the-art classrooms
and workshops. While basically sound in a structural sense, they lacked adequate facilities
for modern teaching, such as up-to-date wireless technology. Moreover, with hindsight the
piecemeal development of the Kings Road centre over some thirty years had not made the
best use of the site.
26
Just as economic constraints had delayed some stages of the College’s original
construction and development during the 1970s, a similar scenario loomed again during
the recession of 2007 onwards, and plans were put on hold while other sources of
funding could be fully explored. Nevertheless, it was anticipated that on completion,
the vastly improved new college would have more flexible teaching spaces, and cater
for a different breed of learner from the students of thirty years earlier.
After a review in May 2011, the College became the first in the UK outside of the
pilot reviews to be awarded the Association of College’s Charter for Excellence in
International Education and Training. It was commended particularly for the depth of its
commitment to internationalisation at all levels, the strength of its partnerships locally,
regionally and internationally and the quality of its international promotional materials.
At the end of a six-year principalship in which the College achieved financial stability
despite an extremely turbulent funding environment, as well as seeing its profile raised
externally and a steady rise in success rates, Mrs Gillespie retired in December 2011.
She was succeeded by Phil Davies, Lecturer in Business Management at Bedford
University prior to his appointment to the college staff in 2002, and a Vice-Principal
since 2008. At the time of his appointment the college was the largest provider of
A-levels in Plymouth, with an overall rating among the top 10% in the country. There
were 18,447 on the college roll, including 4,202 full-time students. ‘If you look at our
total figure,’ he said, ‘you could say we educate the whole of Plymouth every fifteen
years.’13
In October 2012 the college was the first in the country to be inspected using the new
Ofsted common inspection framework. During a year in which the majority of colleges
outside the area saw their grades fall the college, which had been adjudged ‘satisfactory’
after the previous inspection in 2008, was upgraded to ‘a good college with some
outstanding features’. Among the key findings from the Ofsted report, it was noted
Phil Davies,
Principal 2011 -
27
that the proportion of learners achieving their qualifications had consistently improved since
the last inspection and was now high; the provision for apprentices in engineering and learners
in hospitality was outstanding; and all staff were strongly committed to continuing to raise the
quality of teaching and learning and to improving further the experience of all learners.14
College Governors
The Board of the Corporation, 15 including the Principal, draws its membership widely
from local businesses and the broader community. A policy of a maximum of two 4-year
terms ensures both continuity and planned turnover. Sub-committees include Audit, Finance,
Personnel, Planning and Improvement, Search and Governance and Remuneration.
Student Achievement
Success rates among students aged 16-18 on levels 1, 2 and 3 long courses show an upward
trend over the last three years. Success rates for both level 1 and 2 are above benchmark and
within the upper quartile nationally. Retention rates among this age group have improved year
on year over the last three years and are in line with the national benchmark. Achievement
rates among this age group have also improved year on year over the last three years, most
notably at Levels 1 and 2 where achievement has risen by 9% in both cases over the period.
Amongst students aged 19+, success rates on levels 1, 2 and 3 long courses show an upward
trend over the last three years and are all on or above the national benchmark. Success rates
for levels 2 and 3 are within the upper quartile nationally. Retention rates among this age
group have improved year on year over the last three years and are in line with the national
benchmark. Achievement rates among this age group have also improved year on year over
the last three years, where achievement has risen by 13%, 17%, and 14% for Levels 1, 2 and 3
respectively over the period.
28
Press Release (2006)
Wind Turbines
Plymouth College of Further Education installed two 6kw hour Wind Turbines on the roof of
their Innovation Centre in October 2005.
The installation was originally conceived as part of the development of the Innovation
Centre in 2000. This new building amounts to 2500sqm and was designed to demonstrate
the amount of good environmental practice which can be included when building to normal
construction cost limits. This is scheme was very successful as an exemplar but there was
insufficient funding for the Turbines at that time. The building includes such measures as
high mass construction, passive ventilation, good day lighting, careful orientation, low energy
lighting with automatic controls, solar thermal water heating, heat pump, rain water harvesting,
waterless urinals and greener materials.
Funding for the £70,000 Turbine installation was finally achieved from three sources. The Clear
Skies programme provided the most significant contribution followed by BRITA in PuBs, a 6th
framework fund of the European Community and EDF Energy. The installation was designed
and the works managed by a company called Sustainable Energy Installations and the turbines
were manufactured by Proven.
To the credit of Plymouth City Council, obtaining planning consent and building regulation
approval was relatively straightforward. With regard to planning the application it had to
include a thorough environmental impact assessment. With regard to building regulations it
was essential that the structural design calculation and drawings for the Innovation Centre
were available. It is also worth noting that there was some limited local disquiet about the
Turbine installation. This sprang mainly from the normal dislike of the idea of living in the
locality of Wind Turbines.
29
The appearance of the installation on the Innovation Centre is both impressive and inspiring.
The intention was their presence should add to the architecture of the building and this is
being achieved in most people’s opinions. In terms of scale the Innovation Centre is four
storey building. The Turbine blades have a diameter of 5.5m and they have a hub height above
the flat roof surface of 9m.
As expected noise is not a difficulty. The Turbines are direct driven so have no gearbox. This
does mean the blade speed is fast producing an air swishing sound which in stronger wind
conditions can sound more like helicopter blades as they feather to control maximum blade
speed. These noises can only be heard when standing adjacent to the building and there is no
sound transmission within the building itself.
Vibration was another concern especially given the Innovation Centre is a steel framed
structure. The structural design of the building required surprisingly little alteration when the
decision was made to add the potential for Wind Turbines to the original scheme. It simply
required adding stud columns to help provide the mounting points. The Turbine Towers bolt
to a beam platform via dampers. The only vibration transmitted is a slight shudder on upper
floors felt during stronger wind conditions. This did produce some occupier concern initially
until they got used to the new conditions.
An aspect that was underestimated is shadow flicker. The Turbines can project, particularly
during sunny winter days, what amounts to a strobe light into rooms of neighbouring buildings.
This effect is too strong to be blocked by normal office blinds. In practice, at the college,
the turbines have been turned off for short periods on sunny days while the shadow moves
across vulnerable rooms. The actual areas of vulnerability change as the seasons change. It is
also possible that the moving cast shadow might disturb some people as well but this is much
less significant than the strobe light effect. Fortunately the Turbines have been fitted with
anti-vibration brakes that should operate if the Turbines destabilise due to damage. These are
wired to allow remote operation for ease of turning the off units.
30
The output of the Turbines is wired through a pair of inverters for each unit into the main
electrical system of the Innovation Centre. This was done via isolation and metering gear
into an existing three phase board which had spare capacity. The overall annual output, given
location and height, was estimated to be 33,800kw hours/per annum. Over the first five
months of operation the output has been well below target suggesting an annual output
of only 10,000kw hours/per annum. This might be partially explained by this past winter
having fairly calm wind conditions. The output being so far short it is suspected that the
inverter set points need adjustment and this is being investigated. Once we are confident
on the expected output the college will decide whether to register the generation capacity
for renewable obligation certificates. These can be sold to electricity suppliers to help them
reach their renewable energy obligations. It has been pointed out that the registration
system is highly bureaucratic and selling the certificates to the suppliers may also be less than
straightforward.
The overall experience of living with Wind Turbines is good. They generate much interest and
provide visual impact to the college premises. Trying to resolve the poor output has been
frustrating given both Proven and SEI are both located outside of the South West. Also the
significant problem of shadow flicker took the college totally by surprise. Would the college
still have such a Turbine installation given its current experiences? The answer to that is
definitely yes but the knowledge may have meant certain things being done differently.
31
College Development - milestones
College of Further Education authorised 1969 (November), came into existence 1970
(January) on designation of Plymouth Polytechnic; Plymouth College of Technology
officially ceased to exist 1969 (December)
Though there are no records of an official opening ceremony, during 1970 College was
operating from 35 different annexes in Plymouth, major ones being Devonport Annexe,
Durnford Street, Wyndham Street, King Street and Sherwell Church Hall, Prince Rock;
some staff and accommodation shared by CFE and Polytechnic
Other sites and operational dates:
• Kings Road Phase I officially opened September 1974, enabling withdrawal from
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering areas at Polytechnic, HM Dockyard Apprentice
Training Centre, and facilities or annexes at Elliot Road, Charlotte Row, 83 North
Road, North Hill, King Street Church, Sherwell Church, and Devonport Central Hall
• Kings Road Phase I buildings came into use April 1975, enabling total withdrawal
from Polytechnic premises and Martin's Gate School, and facilities or annexes at
Armada Street, Rowe Street, Durnford Street, and 15 Portland Villas
• North Road West opened 1980-2002
• Hotel & Catering Department, Kings Road opened 1983
• School of Maritime Studies merged with Plymouth Polytechnic September 1984
• Sutton annexe 1984-97
• Stoke Damerel, Albert Road annexes 1987-96
• Wyndham Street annexe closed 1987
• Mutton Cove annexe closed 1991
• Keyham annexe 1978-87
• Goschen Centre opened 1994
• Neighbourhood colleges various dates
• Innovation Centre, Kings Road opened 2001
32
References
1. The Opening of the Technical College, Wednesday, 16 March 1955 [souvenir
programme]
2. 'The attic students of a "homeless" college. ‘Western Evening Herald’, 21 February
1972
3. 'It's "all change" for further education.‘Western Evening Herald’, 6 September 1974
4. ibid
5. Principal's Report for the Academic Year 1974-75
6. Principal's Report for the Academic Year 1976-77
7. 'No more students" as cash curb hits college.‘Western Evening Herald’, 4 November
1976
8. Principal's Report for the Academic Year 1978-79
9. Principal's Report for the Academic Year 1980-81
10. Department of Education & Science: Report by HM Inspectors on Plymouth
College of Further Education: Non-Advanced Further Education. DES, 1987
11. Wallace, Claire: Education, training and young people. In Plymouth: Maritime City In
Transition (ed. Chalkley, Dunkerley, Gripaios). David & Charles, 1991
12. Principal's Report for the Academic Year 1986-87
13. “I’ve got the best job in Plymouth” (interview with Phil Davies). Western Evening
Herald, 17 March 2012
14. Pulse, City College Plymouth Staff Magazine, Autumn Term 2012
33
Bibliography
As per works cited in References, also:
Plymouth College of Further Education, prospectuses and directories, 1970-71 onwards
Principal's Reports for the Academic Year, 1970-71 onwards
Kennerley, Alston (ed.): Notes on the History of PostSchool Education in the 'Three
Towns'. Learning Resources Centre, Plymouth Polytechnic, 1976
Statement on the reorganisation of Further Education, 21 March 1991, DES
circular
Plymouth College of Further Education, Self-Assessment Report 98-99, updated
May 2000
Plymouth College of Further Education Corporation Meeting Minutes,
29 November 2000
Miscellaneous local press cuttings, 1970 onwards
Staff bulletins, 1996 onwards
Plymouth Data website www.plymouthdata.info
34
4th edition 2013
Previous editions 1994, 2002, 2010
City College Plymouth
Kings Road
Devonport
Plymouth PL1 5QG
www.cityplym.ac.uk