Gorseinon College
Encyclopedia
Coleg Gorseinon College was a further education college situated to the west of Swansea
, in the suburb of Upper Loughor
in Gorseinon
. It was ranked as one of the best colleges in Wales
and the United Kingdom
. Recently the college was rated as 'outstanding' by Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training. Gorseinon College merged with Swansea College
on 20 August 2010 to create a single sixth form and further education college for the Swansea area called Gower College Swansea
.
The college was established in 1955 as a mining college for the local area. By 1982, the college became a tertiary
college
, and was incorporated in 1993. It had over 1,700 full time students and over 1,900 part-time students in 2006/7, which placed it as a medium-sized college by Welsh
standards. During the late 1990s, the college had a high increase in the number of students with an FTE
base of 1,800. Gorseinon College offered a range of course from nearly 50 A and AS level
subjects ranging from Classics
to Environmental Studies
to Mathematics
and Media Studies
, over 20 vocational subjects from Motor Vehicles to Engineering
to Information Technology
. The College also had several other preparation courses such as Army
and Oxbridge
preparation courses, the latter of which was rated as an 'Outstanding feature of the college.
The College predominantly recruited from two local comprehensives: Pontarddulais
and Penyrheol
. The College also served and recruited from the surrounding nine wards. However, the college tended to attract students from all over the City and County of Swansea
as well as the adjacent local authorities of Carmarthenshire
and Neath Port Talbot
.
The AS Level results for 2008 were:-
For vocational courses in 2005 the results were:-
In recent years the College proved successful in the number of students it sent to University, with over 30 students being accepted into Oxbridge
(Oxford and Cambridge Universities), (eleven in 2008), and the highest ever (seventeen students) being offered a scholarship at the Aberystwyth University in 2008. The College also won the Beacon Award in 1999-2000, 2003-2004 along with being highly commended in 2003-2004. The College also won “The Best Further Education College in Wales Award” from the Welsh Livery Guild. More recently Gorseinon College celebrated after receiving an Association of Colleges’ Beacon Award 2009-2010 for its Knowledge Transfer Partnership, which has helped create 100 local jobs, at a presentation ceremony in Westminster, London on 10 February. Gorseinon College was presented with the Welsh Assembly Government Award for College Engagement with Employers by Kevin Brennan MP, Minister of State for Further Education. The Award recognised best practice in meeting the needs of employers.
to create a single further education college for all of Swansea
called Gower College Swansea
.
.
Public consultation on the details of the merger is ongoing. The merger process is scheduled to be completed in August 2010 and the public consultation document indicates that the new merged institution will operate out of both of the current colleges' main sites. The merged institution will retain both college identities with the current Gorseinon campus at Belgrave road becoming 'Gorseinon Centre' or 'Gorseinon Sixth Form College'. Longer term plans for the newly merged institution include the eventual construction of a new campus in Swansea city centre
and Swansea College vacating its Tycoch
site.
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, in the suburb of Upper Loughor
Loughor
Loughor is a town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community council called Llwchwr....
in Gorseinon
Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
. It was ranked as one of the best colleges in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Recently the college was rated as 'outstanding' by Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training. Gorseinon College merged with Swansea College
Swansea College
Swansea College was a further education college in Swansea. It was one of the largest further education colleges in Wales with over 15,000 students and employing approximately 1,000 staff...
on 20 August 2010 to create a single sixth form and further education college for the Swansea area called Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea is the name of the further education college in Swansea, Wales, which was formed on 20th August 2010 from the merger of Gorseinon College and Swansea College Nick Bennett, the current principal of Gorseinon College, has been offered the post of principal at the new...
.
The college was established in 1955 as a mining college for the local area. By 1982, the college became a tertiary
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, and was incorporated in 1993. It had over 1,700 full time students and over 1,900 part-time students in 2006/7, which placed it as a medium-sized college by Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
standards. During the late 1990s, the college had a high increase in the number of students with an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
base of 1,800. Gorseinon College offered a range of course from nearly 50 A and AS level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
subjects ranging from Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
to Environmental Studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
to Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Media Studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
, over 20 vocational subjects from Motor Vehicles to Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
to Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
. The College also had several other preparation courses such as Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
preparation courses, the latter of which was rated as an 'Outstanding feature of the college.
Campus and Catchment Area
The College operated on several different sites in Gorseinon.- Belgrave Road Campus - Main site of the College, provided A level and all Vocational Courses ranging from AVCEAvceAvče is a settlement on the left bank of the river Soča in the Kanal Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the Diocese of Koper. A second church built above the village in the Nadavče area is dedicated to Our...
s to NVQs to BTECBusiness And Technology Education Council (BTEC)The Business and Technology Education Council is the British body which awards vocational qualifications. Such qualifications are commonly referred to as "BTECs"....
awards. The Motor Vehicle department recently moved to the main site into a brand new purpose-built facility. - LifeLong Learning Centre, Gorseinon - Established in 2001 to provide continuing and further education for adults.
- Canolfan Gorseinon, Gorseinon - Established in 2008 to deliver practical arts courses for adults.
The College predominantly recruited from two local comprehensives: Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais is a community and town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It is situated north west of Swansea city centre. It falls within the Pontarddulais ward.-Overview:...
and Penyrheol
Penyrheol, Swansea
Penyrheol is the name of an electoral ward and a suburb in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK.The electoral ward consists of some or all of the following areas: Penyrheol, Grovesend and Waun Gron, in the parliamentary constituency of Gower...
. The College also served and recruited from the surrounding nine wards. However, the college tended to attract students from all over the City and County of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
as well as the adjacent local authorities of Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
and Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
.
Mission statement
The Colleges mission statement was to:- "Maintain and enhance our reputation as a leading provider of the highest quality education and training; to become a beacon and a magnet for students and staff who will make the college a focus of pride for the community"
Awards and Results
In 2008 the College's results for A levels were:-- 98.5% overall pass rate
- 57.1% A or B grade passes
- 80.4% A, B or C grade passes
The AS Level results for 2008 were:-
- 93.5% overall pass rate
- 49.5% A or B grade passes
- 71% A, B or C grade passes
For vocational courses in 2005 the results were:-
- 94.7% overall pass rate in AVCEs
- 100% overall pass rate in BTEC national diplomas and certificates
- 94.2% overall pass rate in BTEC first diplomas
In recent years the College proved successful in the number of students it sent to University, with over 30 students being accepted into Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
(Oxford and Cambridge Universities), (eleven in 2008), and the highest ever (seventeen students) being offered a scholarship at the Aberystwyth University in 2008. The College also won the Beacon Award in 1999-2000, 2003-2004 along with being highly commended in 2003-2004. The College also won “The Best Further Education College in Wales Award” from the Welsh Livery Guild. More recently Gorseinon College celebrated after receiving an Association of Colleges’ Beacon Award 2009-2010 for its Knowledge Transfer Partnership, which has helped create 100 local jobs, at a presentation ceremony in Westminster, London on 10 February. Gorseinon College was presented with the Welsh Assembly Government Award for College Engagement with Employers by Kevin Brennan MP, Minister of State for Further Education. The Award recognised best practice in meeting the needs of employers.
Merger with Swansea College
On 20 August 2010, Gorseinon College merged with Swansea CollegeSwansea College
Swansea College was a further education college in Swansea. It was one of the largest further education colleges in Wales with over 15,000 students and employing approximately 1,000 staff...
to create a single further education college for all of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
called Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea is the name of the further education college in Swansea, Wales, which was formed on 20th August 2010 from the merger of Gorseinon College and Swansea College Nick Bennett, the current principal of Gorseinon College, has been offered the post of principal at the new...
.
.
Public consultation on the details of the merger is ongoing. The merger process is scheduled to be completed in August 2010 and the public consultation document indicates that the new merged institution will operate out of both of the current colleges' main sites. The merged institution will retain both college identities with the current Gorseinon campus at Belgrave road becoming 'Gorseinon Centre' or 'Gorseinon Sixth Form College'. Longer term plans for the newly merged institution include the eventual construction of a new campus in Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the...
and Swansea College vacating its Tycoch
Tycoch
Tycoch is a suburban district of the City and County of Swansea in Wales. It is situated in the Sketty ward of the city, north-west of Sketty Cross. The area is chiefly residential...
site.