Plater College
Encyclopedia
Plater College was an adult education
establishment which was based in Headington
, Oxford
, England
.
the prior year. The College was originally called the Catholic Workers College, and was located on Walton Well Road
in Oxford where it remained until 1955, when it moved to Boars Hill
. Under the leadership of Joseph Kirwan (1910–2005), who became principal in 1962, it was renamed Plater College in 1965, and moved from makeshift facilities at Boars Hill to a new purpose-built residential college on Pullens Lane
in Headington
during the late 1970s.
Plater College was home to the G. K. Chesterton
Institute in the UK, and the G. K. Chesterton Library, and publisher of the literary journal, Second Spring.
Plater had a Catholic ethos with daily mass being said before the evening meal. St Joseph the Worker was the patron saint of the college, with a statue of the saint at the entrance. Students did not have to be Catholic to attend the college, but help was given to students by a resident priest and also a community of apostolic sisters who were affiliated with the college.
. The students were also enrolled to use the Bodleian Library
. Lectures could be attended at certain Oxford colleges as well as The Schools.
The following subjects could be studied at Plater: Theology, Pastoral Studies, Psychology, Law, Social Studies, Economics and Politics. Students also did a course in Christianity and Society. Additional study could be done in English and Maths.
The Plater College Foundation was formed to opposed the closure, and sued the college trustees, Board of Governors and the Catholic Education Service. The lawsuit was dropped when the foundation ran out of funds.
, one of the most exclusive residential areas of Headington, was sold a year later to EF Language Schools for £5.6 million. Proceeds from the sale were used to establish the Charles Plater Trust, which uses the income from the fund to make charitable grants for the advancement of education consistent with Catholic social teaching. One initiative funded by the Trust is www.virtualplater.org.uk.
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
establishment which was based in Headington
Headington
Headington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. The life of the large residential area is centred upon London Road, the main road between London and Oxford.-History:...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
College history
The college was founded in 1922 by the Rev. Leo O'Hea, S.J. (1881–1976), director of the Catholic Social Guild, in memory of the Father Charles Dominic Plater S.J., who had been instrumental in founding the Guild in 1909, giving the Catholic Social Movement its first organizational structure in England, and who had died in MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
the prior year. The College was originally called the Catholic Workers College, and was located on Walton Well Road
Walton Well Road
Walton Well Road is a road in central north Oxford, England. It provides the main link from central Oxford to Port Meadow and beyond.- Location :...
in Oxford where it remained until 1955, when it moved to Boars Hill
Boars Hill
Boars Hill is a hill hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundariy between the civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-History:...
. Under the leadership of Joseph Kirwan (1910–2005), who became principal in 1962, it was renamed Plater College in 1965, and moved from makeshift facilities at Boars Hill to a new purpose-built residential college on Pullens Lane
Pullens Lane
Pullens Lane is in Headington, east Oxford, England. It is located at the top of Headington Hill, leading north off Headington Road to Jack Straw's Lane and Harberton Mead. The cul-de-sac Pullens Field leads off west from Pullens Lane.- Buildings :...
in Headington
Headington
Headington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. The life of the large residential area is centred upon London Road, the main road between London and Oxford.-History:...
during the late 1970s.
Plater College was home to the G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
Institute in the UK, and the G. K. Chesterton Library, and publisher of the literary journal, Second Spring.
Plater had a Catholic ethos with daily mass being said before the evening meal. St Joseph the Worker was the patron saint of the college, with a statue of the saint at the entrance. Students did not have to be Catholic to attend the college, but help was given to students by a resident priest and also a community of apostolic sisters who were affiliated with the college.
Educational mission
It offered further education with an emphasis on Catholic social teaching to Catholics who had missed educational opportunities or who were in work. It was a sister-school to secular Ruskin College, on which it was modeled. Although not a part of Oxford University, Plater College members were eligible for Life Membership / Temporary Membership in the Oxford UnionOxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
. The students were also enrolled to use the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
. Lectures could be attended at certain Oxford colleges as well as The Schools.
The following subjects could be studied at Plater: Theology, Pastoral Studies, Psychology, Law, Social Studies, Economics and Politics. Students also did a course in Christianity and Society. Additional study could be done in English and Maths.
Closure
The college closed in July 2005 following a negative report from the Adult Learning Inspectorate released in November 2004 and the resignation of its principal, Robert Beckinsale, amid recriminations and allegations of scandal. The trustees announced that the decision to close had been taken because "acceptably high standards of education can no longer be assured at Plater".The Plater College Foundation was formed to opposed the closure, and sued the college trustees, Board of Governors and the Catholic Education Service. The lawsuit was dropped when the foundation ran out of funds.
Charles Plater Trust
The college's 2.67 acre (0.0108051162 km²) campus in Pullens LanePullens Lane
Pullens Lane is in Headington, east Oxford, England. It is located at the top of Headington Hill, leading north off Headington Road to Jack Straw's Lane and Harberton Mead. The cul-de-sac Pullens Field leads off west from Pullens Lane.- Buildings :...
, one of the most exclusive residential areas of Headington, was sold a year later to EF Language Schools for £5.6 million. Proceeds from the sale were used to establish the Charles Plater Trust, which uses the income from the fund to make charitable grants for the advancement of education consistent with Catholic social teaching. One initiative funded by the Trust is www.virtualplater.org.uk.