New College Worcester
| New College Worcester | |
|---|---|
| File:Newcollegelogo.jpg | |
| Address | |
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Whittington Road , | |
| Information | |
| Type | 'Special Specialist School' (DfES) |
| Principal | Mrs. Mardy Smith |
| Website | http://www.newcollegeworcester.co.uk |
New College Worcester (or NCW; formerly RNIB New College) is a secondary school in the historic British city of Worcester. The school is also a boarding school. The school has been classified by the Department for Education and Skills as a “Specialist Special School”.
New College caters for students, aged 11-19, who are blind or partially sighted. The school can also provide for students who have other special needs or disabilities along with their visual impairment.
As well as offering an “outstanding” (OFSTED inspection report, 2005) secondary education, the school teaches mobility training and independent living skills to its students.
History
In 1866 a special needs boarding school was established called Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen, in 1866, based first at the Commandery (the English Civil War headquarters of King Charles II).
Leaving their rented wing of the Commandery in 1887, Worcester College arrived in Powick, before moving to its present location. Following the kind purchase of land made by one Eliza Warrington in 1897, Worcester College for the Blind eventually moved to its present location on the Whittington Road site in 1902.
In 1936 the RNIB took over all financial responsibility for the school. This lasted until 2007 when NCW finally split with from the RNIB. In 1944, an Act of Parliament (the Education Act 1944) made the school recognised as an official grammar school for blind boys.
Much construction work was undertaken at the Whittington Road site, including the building of an open-air swimming pool, and also a school chapel in the 1950s, as well as major extension work (adding the science block to the main building). The most extensive construction work took place in the 1980s following the merger with Chorleywood College for Girls with Little or No Sight. Around 2000 the new Learning Resources Centre (LRC) was opened adjoining the chapel and mathematics corridor - as well as giving a new school production venue and computer resource, the LRC replaced the former library, which became the offices of the Senior Management Team (SMT).
In 1987, both Chorleywood College for Girls and Worcester College for the Blind closed. The two former establishments merged, taking up residence at Worcester College's site becoming known as RNIB New College Worcester. The old Worcester College motto, "They can because they think they can", was dropped along with extensive building works at the Whittington Road site.
As of June 2007, the school will be known as New College Worcester following their split from the RNIB.
Split with the RNIB
As of 1 June 2007, the school will undergo a formal name and logo change. This is in response to the school's recent split with the major British national organisation for the blind and visually impaired in the UK, the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB).
The RNIB, then termed as the National Institute for the Blind, took over all financial responsibility for NCW in 1936. This followed the death of the school's headmaster George C. Brown who brought about many significant changes for the school - notably an increase in student numbers, and the addition of new courses and activities. However, Brown's legacy also left financial difficulties and administrative problems for the school, which saw intervention by the RNIB. It is rumoured that as well as taking responsibility for the school's finances, the RNIB also opted to pay back Brown's extensive debts.
A close working relationship between NCW and the RNIB has since ensued. However, several issues have hampered an ongoing relationship. The RNIB had insisted for example, that NCW's computer network and Internet facilities make use of RNIB infrastructure, including routers and so on. As a result, fast and reliable Internet access was jeopardized. Financial issues also became apparent, with the RNIB stipulating, for example, that all donations to NCW exceeding £250 be redirected to the charity rather than the college.
For some time now, by consensus, there have been detailed negotiations between the governors of the college and the RNIB to enable the college to become an independent non-maintained special school. These arrangements are now almost complete and it is anticipated that RNIB New College Worcester will become New College Worcester (NCW) on 8 June 2007. Of course, NCW will continue to work with the RNIB in a number of ways to the benefit of visually impaired children and young people.
New College's aim
"We aim to send every student into adult life as a well-educated, independent and knowledgeable young person" - Mardy Smith, Acting Principal (2007)
Courses offered at New College
The school offers a wide range of subjects and course at all academic levels (as would be expected in any academic institution in the United Kingdom).
Subjects taught at Key Stage 3 include: Mathematics, English, Science, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Music and Drama. Closed Down
Advanced Level courses
Courses offered at Advanced Level academic studies (AS and A2 levels) include: Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Computing, Critical Thinking, Drama & Theatre Studies, English Literature & Language, English Language, French, Geography, German, Government & Politics, Health & Social Care, History, Law, Latin, Mathematics, Music, Music Technology, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Psychology, Sociology, and Sport & PE,
New College can arrange for other subjects including Japanese and Spanish language courses. It also offers repeat GCSEs, ASDAN, adult literacy and numeracy, work placements and courses at a local College in Worcester. The staff in these houses will carry out semi-parental roles, as well as training students in cookery and general home skills.
Like all special needs schools in the UK, New College teaches their students to become independent through mobility lessons with the school's mobility training officers, as well as basic living skills sessions in school (Independent Living Skills; formerly known as 'Design For Living', or 'DFL') and in student accommodation. New College will also teach Braille to students if necessary.
Accommodation
New College offers accommodation to students boarding at the school. There are four main houses for lower school, with a house and hostel for the Sixth Form. The latter is designed to hopefully prepare students leaving at the end of Year 13 for university life.
The four lower school houses (Brown, Bradnack, Peggy Markes and Dorothy McHugh), the Sixth Form buildings (the Phyllis Monk House and the Phyllis Monk Hostel) and school guest house (Fletcher) are named for former headmasters of New College.
Trivia
- Blind BBC Radio presenter Peter White was a student at Worcester College for the Blind. He discusses the school in its earler days in great detail in his autobiography See It My Way.
- Former British Cabinet Minister David Blunkett MP failed on his assessment to get to the school. This is believed to be deliberate however. This is mentioned in his biography by Stephen Pollard, published in 2004.
- New College's has two 'sister schools'. One, in France, is the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, where Braille inventor Louis Braille was a student. While NCW's other 'sister school' is the school for the blind in Marburg, Germany. Exchanges and trips are arranged between the three.
- In 1993, NCW was featured in an episode of 'Challenge Anneka'. In the show, presenter Aneeka Rice's team produced the world's first multi-sensory maze for mobility training. The maze involved a series of environments and challenges for blind and partially sighted people. They included a “Pelican crossing”, bridges, an observation tower with a spiral staircase, concrete pipe and corrugated iron tunnels, a scaffolding alley, a telephone box and post box, half a car fixed to a wall (giving an impression of a parked car) and a space exploration sculpture created by visually impaired artist Peter Tait. “Challenge Anneka” produces World's first multi-sensory maze Millions of viewers saw the world's first multi-sensory maze being built at RNIB New College, Worcester, as a “Challenge Anneka” project. The programme was broadcast in the popular television series during RNIB Week on September 18. The school has since torn the free maze down because of vandalism.
Further reading
- Donald-Bell, An experiment in education: The history of Worcester College for the Blind, 1866-1966 (ISBN: B0000CNE5K)
- White, Peter (autobiography), See It My Way (ISBN 0751525472)