Portslade Community College
Encyclopedia
Portslade Community College (PCC) is a comprehensive school and community college
situated in Portslade
, in the city of Brighton and Hove, England
. It is due to be replaced as from September 2011 by a new entity, Portslade Aldridge Community Academy. The school has around 900 pupils, including around 100 in the sixth form, and has been led since 2010 by the Principal, Mr Stuart McLaughlin, who will become the principal of the new Academy.
The main Chalky Road site also houses a community library and sports centre.
The college was opened by Margaret Thatcher
, while Secretary of State for Education.
The Chalky Road site was previously known as Portslade Secondary Modern School for Girls, (circa 1947) and then later Mile Oak Girls School, (circa 1954).
This site also been used in the past for both Windlesham School,and Portslade Secondary Modern, and Portslade Community College Lower School. The Sixth Form college was previously located within the old Mile Oak Approved School
in the 1960s and 1970's, in Mile Oak Road.
The Aldridge Foundation, led by Rod Aldridge
, expressed an interest in 2009 in sponsoring PCC to become an academy, in the same way that it had sponsored the academy at Falmer High School
. This was approved by the Department for Education and finally agreed by the City Council in February 2011.
The council report proposing the closure of PCC to make way for the academy stated that to leave PCC unchanged was "not considered acceptable as in discussions with the DfE it has been agreed that the school requires significant structural change to improve the results achieved by the school". The sum of £12.7 million will be available to the academy which will enable the sixth form provision to be moved to the main site at Mile Oak, as well as providing new science facilites.
In 2006, 645 adult students gained a qualification with the college.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
situated in Portslade
Portslade
Portslade is the name of an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Portslade Village, the original settlement a mile inland to the north, was built up in the 16th century...
, in the city of Brighton and Hove, 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...
. It is due to be replaced as from September 2011 by a new entity, Portslade Aldridge Community Academy. The school has around 900 pupils, including around 100 in the sixth form, and has been led since 2010 by the Principal, Mr Stuart McLaughlin, who will become the principal of the new Academy.
Location and history
Portslade Community College utilises three main sites:- Main school (Chalky Road site) 50.851176°N 0.223438°W
- Sixth Form Centre 50.842492°N 0.223202°W
- Village Centre 50.841367°N 0.218954°W
The main Chalky Road site also houses a community library and sports centre.
The college was opened by Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, while Secretary of State for Education.
The Chalky Road site was previously known as Portslade Secondary Modern School for Girls, (circa 1947) and then later Mile Oak Girls School, (circa 1954).
Sixth Form Centre
The sixth form centre is situated about a mile away from the main site, at the top of Portslade High Street.This site also been used in the past for both Windlesham School,and Portslade Secondary Modern, and Portslade Community College Lower School. The Sixth Form college was previously located within the old Mile Oak Approved School
Approved School
Approved School is a term formerly used in the United Kingdom to mean a particular kind of residential institution to which young people could be sent by a court, usually for committing offences but sometimes because they were deemed to be beyond parental control...
in the 1960s and 1970's, in Mile Oak Road.
Move to academy status
In 2009, an OFSTED inspection judged the overall effectiveness of the school "inadequate" and found that "Standards are exceptionally low". A further inspection led to the decision that the school required special measures.The Aldridge Foundation, led by Rod Aldridge
Rod Aldridge
Rod Aldridge OBE is the Founder and former Executive Chairman of Capita, a British company specialising in business process outsourcing, and currently Chairman of The Aldridge Foundation...
, expressed an interest in 2009 in sponsoring PCC to become an academy, in the same way that it had sponsored the academy at Falmer High School
Falmer High School
Falmer High School was a community mixed-sex non-denominational comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Brighton, East Sussex, England. It closed on 31 August 2010 and was replaced by Brighton Aldridge Community Academy on the same site, sponsored by Rod Aldridge.-Grammar school:It was...
. This was approved by the Department for Education and finally agreed by the City Council in February 2011.
The council report proposing the closure of PCC to make way for the academy stated that to leave PCC unchanged was "not considered acceptable as in discussions with the DfE it has been agreed that the school requires significant structural change to improve the results achieved by the school". The sum of £12.7 million will be available to the academy which will enable the sixth form provision to be moved to the main site at Mile Oak, as well as providing new science facilites.
Academic results
25% of students achieved Level 2 (5+A*-C) including English and maths GCSEs, in 2009, compared with 44% across all Brighton and Hove schools. In 2010, this had risen to 35%.Adult education
The adult education centre within the college was shortlisted, as one of four colleges, for an "Education Oscars" event organised by the Centre for Excellence in Leadership.In 2006, 645 adult students gained a qualification with the college.