New College Worcester
Encyclopedia
New College Worcester is a residential secondary school for students, aged 11–19, who are blind
or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students including those who have other special needs or disabilities along with their visual impairment
. It is located in the city of Worcester
, England. It has been classified as a “Specialist Special School”. A 2009 Ofsted inspection classed the school with a Grade 2 (Good).
, the former English Civil War
headquarters of King Charles II
. In 1887, following a purchase of land by Eliza Warrington, Worcester College relocated to the village of Powick
, then moving to its present location in Whittington Road, Worcester in 1902. New buildings were added in the 1930s, including the Baldwin wing, which included extra classrooms, dormitories, a gymnasium, and study rooms for fifth and sixth form students. In 1936, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) took over all financial responsibility for the school, until 2007 when NCW split from the RNIB. In 1944, an Act of Parliament
(the Education Act 1944
) recognised the establishment as an official grammar school for blind boys.
During the 1950s much construction work was undertaken at the Whittington Road site, including the building of an open-air swimming pool, and a school chapel in the 1950s, as well as major extension work (adding the science block to the main building). A second wing, opened by Princess Margaret in 1962 provided facilities for a new science laboratory and a craft and woodwork shop. A new chapel had been built at the same time. In the 1970s, the School's guest house, Fletcher, was purchased. This house has also been used as additional accommodation of CSVs (Community Service Volunteers) and its garden has in the past been developed for gardening.
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 a production venue and computer resources. The LRC replaced the former library, which became the offices of the Senior Management Team (SMT). In 1987, Chorleywood College for Girls and Worcester College for the Blind closed. The two former establishments merged, taking up residence at Worcester College's site which was renamed RNIB New College Worcester and became coeducational.
In 2007, funding issues resulted in negotiations between the governors of the college and the RNIB, reaching a consensus that enabled the college to become an independent non-maintained special school, although it continues to collaborate with the RNIB to the benefit of visually impaired children and young people. The school was renamed New College Worcester and given a new logo.
In 2007 the college received an outstanding OFSTED report and was awarded specialist special school status, enabling it to continuously improve the support for its students. In 2008 OFSTED concluded that students at New College Worcester receive high quality care and education.
Students learn 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.
A large staff enables a teacher:student ratio of between 3 and 4 students per teacher. Among the teaching aids in use at the school is a series of MP3 recordings of core textbook material. The MP3s were developed by the schools science department and they are available on the school's Intranet.
s'. One, in France
, is the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris
, where Braille
inventor Louis Braille
was a student, and a school for the blind in Marburg
, Germany
. Exchanges and trips are arranged between the three.
. In the show, presenter Anneka 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. The programme was broadcast in the popular television series during RNIB Week on 18 September 1993.
According to a biography written by Stephen Pollard
, former blind British Cabinet Minister David Blunkett
MP
failed on his assessment to enter the school as a student.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students including those who have other special needs or disabilities along with their visual impairment
Visual impairment
Visual impairment is vision loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive...
. It is located in the city of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England. It has been classified as a “Specialist Special School”. A 2009 Ofsted inspection classed the school with a Grade 2 (Good).
History
In 1866 a special needs boarding school was established as Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen, based first at The CommanderyThe Commandery
The Commandery is a historic building open to visitors and located in the city of Worcester, England. It opened as a museum in 1977 and was for a while the only museum in England dedicated solely to the Civil Wars...
, the former English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
headquarters of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. In 1887, following a purchase of land by Eliza Warrington, Worcester College relocated to the village of Powick
Powick
Powick is a Worcestershire village two miles south of the city of Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern, close to the River Teme. It is a civil parish of the Malvern Hills District, and it includes the village of Callow End and the hamlets of Bastonford, Clevelode, Colletts Green, and...
, then moving to its present location in Whittington Road, Worcester in 1902. New buildings were added in the 1930s, including the Baldwin wing, which included extra classrooms, dormitories, a gymnasium, and study rooms for fifth and sixth form students. In 1936, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) took over all financial responsibility for the school, until 2007 when NCW split from the RNIB. In 1944, an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
(the Education Act 1944
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
) recognised the establishment as an official grammar school for blind boys.
During the 1950s much construction work was undertaken at the Whittington Road site, including the building of an open-air swimming pool, and a school chapel in the 1950s, as well as major extension work (adding the science block to the main building). A second wing, opened by Princess Margaret in 1962 provided facilities for a new science laboratory and a craft and woodwork shop. A new chapel had been built at the same time. In the 1970s, the School's guest house, Fletcher, was purchased. This house has also been used as additional accommodation of CSVs (Community Service Volunteers) and its garden has in the past been developed for gardening.
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 a production venue and computer resources. The LRC replaced the former library, which became the offices of the Senior Management Team (SMT). In 1987, Chorleywood College for Girls and Worcester College for the Blind closed. The two former establishments merged, taking up residence at Worcester College's site which was renamed RNIB New College Worcester and became coeducational.
In 2007, funding issues resulted in negotiations between the governors of the college and the RNIB, reaching a consensus that enabled the college to become an independent non-maintained special school, although it continues to collaborate with the RNIB to the benefit of visually impaired children and young people. The school was renamed New College Worcester and given a new logo.
In 2007 the college received an outstanding OFSTED report and was awarded specialist special school status, enabling it to continuously improve the support for its students. In 2008 OFSTED concluded that students at New College Worcester receive high quality care and education.
Curriculum
The school offers a wide range of subjects and courses at all academic levels based on the National Curriculum. At Key Stage 3 subjects include mathematics, English, science, history, geography, religious studies, Information Communication Technology (ICT), music, and drama. Courses provided at Advanced Level academic studies (AS and A2 levels) include biology, business studies, chemistry, computing, critical thinking, drama & theatre studies, English literature & language, French, geography, German, government & politics, health & social care, history, law, Latin, mathematics, music, music technology, philosophy, physics, Religious Studies, psychology, sociology, and sport & PE, New College also provides additional subjects including language courses for Japanese and Spanish, and training in cookery and domestic skills. It also offers repeat GCSEs, ASDAN, adult literacy and numeracy, work placements and courses at a local College in Worcester.Students learn 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
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
to students if necessary.
A large staff enables a teacher:student ratio of between 3 and 4 students per teacher. Among the teaching aids in use at the school is a series of MP3 recordings of core textbook material. The MP3s were developed by the schools science department and they are available on the school's Intranet.
Accommodation
Boarding accommodation is provided at the school, in four main houses for the lower school, with a house and hostel for the Sixth Form. 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 after former headmasters of New College.Affiliations
New College has two 'sister schoolSister school
The term sister school has several meanings:*a definite financial commerce between two colleges or universities*two schools that have a strong historical connection...
s'. One, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, is the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
inventor Louis Braille
Louis Braille
Louis Braille was the inventor of braille, a system of reading and writing used by people who are blind or visually impaired...
was a student, and a school for the blind in Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Exchanges and trips are arranged between the three.
Media
NCW was featured in an episode of Challenge AnnekaChallenge Anneka
Challenge Anneka is a British television programme, produced by the independent production company Mentorn for the BBC, which aired on Friday, later Saturday evenings on BBC One between 8 September 1989 and 15 October 1995. It was announced in 2006 that the series is returning, but this time on...
. In the show, presenter Anneka 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. The programme was broadcast in the popular television series during RNIB Week on 18 September 1993.
Associated people and alumni
- Peter WhitePeter White (broadcaster)Peter White MBE is a British broadcast journalist and DJ.-Career:Blind since birth , he attended New College Worcester, which was then known as the Worcester College for the Blind...
, BBC RadioBBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
presenter. White discusses the school in its earlier days in detail in his autobiographyAutobiographyAn autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, See it My Way. - Reginald Walter Bonham MBE MA, was a pupil from 1922 to 1925. He was the most famous British blind chess player ever and six times world champion. In 1926 he went on to Oxford where he became University champion. He also rowed regularly for his college Eight, and made the final trials for the Oxford crew. In 1929 he returned to Worcester College for the Blind where he rapidly became a hugely influential force. He taught mathematics and Braille and was an enthusiastic coach at rowing, amateur dramatics, bridge, and chess.
- Gary O'DonoghueGary O'DonoghueGary O'Donoghue is an English journalist, currently working for the BBC.He was born to a semi-professional footballing father who worked as a taxi driver, and his mother taught ballroom dancing...
, political reporter for BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
is also a former student. - Rupert CrossRupert CrossSir Alfred Rupert Neale Cross was a prominent English lawyer and academic...
, former Vinerian Professor of English LawVinerian Professor of English LawThe Vinerian Professorship of English Law, formerly Vinerian Professorship of Common Law, was established by Charles Viner who by his will, dated 29 December 1755, left about £12,000 to the Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford, to establish a Professorship of the Common Law...
at the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. - John WallJohn Wall (judge)Sir John Anthony Wall CBE was a British lawyer and the first visually impaired judge of the High Court of Justice of the 20th century....
, first visually impaired judge of the High Court of JusticeHigh Court of JusticeThe High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
. - Colin LowColin Low, Baron Low of DalstonColin Mackenzie Low, Baron Low of Dalston, CBE is a British politician, law scholar and member of the House of Lords....
, Chairman of the RNIB and member of the House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. - John Foster WilsonJohn Foster WilsonSir John Foster Wilson CBE was a public health advocate, best known for working to prevent blindness in developing countries in Africa and South and South East Asia....
, founder of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind. - David Aprahamian Liddle, noted organist.
- Richard Bignell, headmaster of Exhall Grange SchoolExhall Grange SchoolExhall Grange School and Science College is a community special school located in Ash Green just outside Coventry in Warwickshire, England. The school caters for pupils ranging in age from two to 19 years, and who have a range of disabilities and learning difficulties, including physical...
from 1981-2005. - Edward ElgarEdward ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, the noted composer held professorial posts at Worcester in an early period of his career.
According to a biography written by Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard is a British author and journalist, currently editor of The Jewish Chronicle. He is a former Chairman of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and a former president of the Centre for the New Europe, a free-market think tank based in Brussels...
, former blind British Cabinet Minister David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
failed on his assessment to enter the school as a student.
Further reading
- Bell, Donald An experiment in education: The history of Worcester College for the Blind, 1866-1966 (ISBN: B0000CNE5K)
- Fletcher, Richard C., The College on the Ridge (ISBN 0950988103)
- British Journal of Visual Impairment (Vol. 9, No. 3, 83-85 (1991) DOI: 10.1177/026461969100900305