Varndean College
Encyclopedia
Varndean College is a sixth form college
located in Brighton & Hove
that serves the needs of sixth form students and adults.
and moved to its current site overlooking the city and the sea in 1932, later attaining grammar school
status, becoming Varndean Grammar School for Boys, administered by the Education Committee for the County Borough of Brighton. In 1972 the first girls were admitted to the school (a small number of girls attended A level physics classes at the school in 1970-71) , and in 1975 it became a sixth form college under its first principal, David A.G. Turner.
and Varndean Secondary School
.
. The association maintains contact with thousands of Old Varndeanians and organises regular reunions and other functions.
it wishes to and is currently not large enough to accommodate the students attending; around 1200. The building was constructed in 1930s as a boys' grammar school for 500 students and the Principal believes it is not suitable for modern needs. The plans would completely knock down the old building but the design of the new one is keeping with the same style; revolving around an open air courtyard. When completed the college will be able to offer modern facilities and teaching spaces for all subjects. The plans also include an extension to the Downs View Link College on the same site, which provides education and care for 16 to 19-year-olds with physical and mental disabilities and new block, including a gym and hydrotherapy pool, which will provide for up to 100 under 25s with severe learning difficulties and disabilities. If all goes according to plan, construction should be complete by 2015. Principal Dr. Philip Harland has said recently, "the current plans for re-constructing the College will cause controversy within the local community and area, but hopefully these people will realise the potential in these plans for future students and will approach the ideas with a more positive attitude." (April 2008).
During 2010 it became clear that funds for a major rebuild project would not be made available in the foreseeable future. The college will, however, undergo extensive renovation work over the next few years.
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
located in Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority area and city on the south coast of England. It is England's most populous seaside resort.In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium...
that serves the needs of sixth form students and adults.
History
The college was founded in 1884 in York Place, Brighton as a boys' Secondary SchoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
and moved to its current site overlooking the city and the sea in 1932, later attaining grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
status, becoming Varndean Grammar School for Boys, administered by the Education Committee for the County Borough of Brighton. In 1972 the first girls were admitted to the school (a small number of girls attended A level physics classes at the school in 1970-71) , and in 1975 it became a sixth form college under its first principal, David A.G. Turner.
Former Headmasters and Principals
- 1884-1901 Edwin H. Lethbridge (died 1932)
- 1902-1932 William J. Stainer (died 1937)
- 1932-1963 Eric J. Hutchins (died 1972)
- 1963-1970 John E. Mollison
- 1970-1975 David A.G. Turner
- 1975-1988 David A.G. Turner
- 1988-2006 Alan Jenkins
- 2006 - Philip Harland
Location
Varndean College is situated in Surrenden Road, in the northern part of Brighton. It shares a campus with Balfour Junior School, Balfour Infants School, Dorothy Stringer High SchoolDorothy Stringer High School
Dorothy Stringer High School is situated in Brighton, England, UK.It has around 1,600 pupils and 120 members of staff led by the head teacher, Richard Bradford...
and Varndean Secondary School
Varndean Secondary School
-Location and status:Varndean School is a secondary school serving the needs of a large area of Brighton, England. It moved to its current site overlooking the city and the sea in 1926. Varndean has a national reputation for innovation and achievement. It is a vibrant learning community with a...
.
Notable alumni
The Old Varndeanian Association http://www.oldvarndeanians.org.uk exists to maintain a network between former pupils and students of both the school and college, as well as former pupils of Varndean Girls' SchoolVarndean Secondary School
-Location and status:Varndean School is a secondary school serving the needs of a large area of Brighton, England. It moved to its current site overlooking the city and the sea in 1926. Varndean has a national reputation for innovation and achievement. It is a vibrant learning community with a...
. The association maintains contact with thousands of Old Varndeanians and organises regular reunions and other functions.
- Bobby Barry, musician
- Tommy FraserTommy FraserThomas Francis Peter "Tommy" Fraser is a professional footballer, who is without a club having departed Barnet in November 2011. A central midfielder, he can also play on the right wing....
, footballer (Brighton and Hove Albion) - Darren FreemanDarren FreemanDarren Freeman is an English retired professional footballer who played as a winger. Freeman made over 130 appearances in the Football League between 1995 and 2002.-Career:...
, footballer (Brentford, Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion) - Lucy Griffiths, actress
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, television presenter - Russell MartinRussell MartinRussell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin, Jr is a Canadian Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.Martin became the everyday catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately upon his Major League debut, and continued in that role for nearly 5 years...
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) - Lisa Francesca NandLisa Francesca NandLisa Francesca Nand is a journalist and broadcaster who started off on BBC Radio before becoming a co-presenter on the Ian Collins show on the UK radio station TalkSPORT. When she was appointed in 2006 she was the first female presenter on TalkSPORT...
, journalist and broadcaster - Rebecca StephensRebecca StephensRebecca Stephens is a singer, formerly with British band The Pipettes, where she was commonly known as RiotBecki....
, musician
Varndean Grammar School for Boys
- Rt Rev Walter Hubert BaddeleyWalter Hubert BaddeleyWalter Hubert Baddeley was the seventh Anglican Bishop of Melanesia, serving from 1932 to 1947. He was born in Portslade, Hove, Sussex, and educated at Keble College and Cuddesdon College before ordination. Baddeley was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1921, after which he served as...
, Bishop of Melanesia, WhitbyBishop of WhitbyThe Bishop of Whitby is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of York, in the Province of York, England.The title takes its name after the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire...
, BlackburnBishop of BlackburnThe Bishop of Blackburn is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn in the Province of York.The diocese covers much of the county of Lancashire and has its see in the town of Blackburn, where the seat of the diocese is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary...
and AdelaideAnglican Diocese of AdelaideThe Anglican Diocese of Adelaide is based in Adelaide, South Australia. The diocese is a part of the Province of South Australia of the Anglican Church of Australia and a part of the Anglican Communion. The current Archbishop of Adelaide is the Most Reverend Jeffrey Driver.-List of Bishops and... - Trevor Bish-Jones, Chief Executive from 2002-9 of Woolworths GroupWoolworths GroupWoolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
- David BlanchflowerDavid BlanchflowerDavid Graham Blanchflower CBE is a leading labour economist, currently a tenured economics professor at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire...
CBE, economist - Frank BridgeFrank BridgeFrank Bridge was an English composer and violist.-Life:Bridge was born in Brighton and studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1899 to 1903 under Charles Villiers Stanford and others...
, composer - David CollingsDavid CollingsDavid Collings is a British actor. He has played many different roles on various television programmes, including the leading dramatic role in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment in 1964....
, actor - Percy Ford, Professor of Economics from 1926-59 at the University of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonThe University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
- Prof Anthony FrenchAnthony FrenchAnthony Philip French is an emeritus professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was born in Brighton, England....
, Professor of Physics from 1964-91 at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, worked on the Manhattan ProjectManhattan ProjectThe Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army... - Dave GreenfieldDave GreenfieldDave Greenfield is the keyboard player with English rock band, The Stranglers.-Biography:He is noted for his trademark style of playing rapid arpeggios...
, Stranglers (keyboards) 1960-1967 - Dr Spencer Hagard, Chief Executive from 1987-94 of the Health Education Authority
- Harold Foster HallettHarold Foster HallettHarold Foster Hallet , - British philosopher, was born in 1886.From 1904 to 1908 - shipyard of Messrs Young and Co at Poplar.1908 - BSc in Engineering from the University of London....
, philosopher - Norman HammondNorman HammondNorman Hammond is a British archaeologist, academic and Mesoamericanist scholar, noted for his publications and research on the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, Hammond is a professor in the Archaeology Department at Boston University's College of Arts and...
, archaeologist and Archaeology Correspondent of The Times since 1967 - Alan Hart, Chief Executive from 1985-9 of the Equal Opportunities CommissionEqual Opportunities CommissionThe Equal Opportunities Commission was an independent non-departmental public body, in the United Kingdom, which tackled sex discrimination and promoted gender equality...
- David Hills CBE, Director-General of Intelligence from 1988-93 at the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
- Major-General Sir Ralph Hone, Governor of North BorneoNorth BorneoNorth Borneo was a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company from 1882 to 1946. After the war it became a crown colony of Great Britain from 1946 to 1963, known in this time as British North Borneo. It is located on the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. It is...
1949-54 - Neil Hook MVO, Ambassador to Turkmenistan from 1995-8 and High Commissioner to Swaziland from 1999-2001
- Prof Malcolm Levene, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health since 1989 at the University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
- Des LynamDes LynamDesmond Michael "Des" Lynam, OBE is an Irish television and radio presenter based in the UK.He has hosted television coverage of high profile events for many years...
, television presenter - Steve OvettSteve OvettStephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...
, Olympic athlete - Ian RitchieIan Ritchie (architect)Professor Ian Ritchie CBE is a British architect. He was born in 1947 in Sussex.After working with Norman Foster , Ritchie spent two years in France designing and constructing projects. In 1979 he founded Chrysalis Architects and also worked at Arup’s Lightweight Structures Group in London...
CBE, architect - Simon SchafferSimon SchafferSimon Schaffer . He is a professor of the history and philosophy of science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and was until recently editor of The British Journal for the History of Science.-Life:Schaffer was born in Southampton and attended Varndean...
, historian - George Schwartz, Economics editor of the Sunday Times from 1961-71
- Paul ScofieldPaul ScofieldDavid Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...
, actor - Peter Sharpe, Chief Constable from 1994-2000 of Hertfordshire ConstabularyHertfordshire ConstabularyHertfordshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Hertfordshire in England. Its headquarters is situated in Welwyn Garden City...
- Prof Colin Smith, Professor of Spanish from 1975-90 at the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Editor from 1976-81 of the Modern Language ReviewModern Language ReviewModern Language Review is the journal of the Modern Humanities Research Association . It is one of the oldest journals in the field of modern languages. Founded in 1905, it has published more than 3,000 articles and 20,000 book reviews.... - Prof Kenneth Stacey, Professor of Microbiology and founding director of the Biology Laboratory at the University of Kent
- Rear AdmRear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Michael Stringer, 1965-1967 - Rt Rev Martin William WallaceMartin William WallaceMartin William Wallace is the current Suffragan Bishop of Selby. He was educated at King’s College London and St Augustine’s Theological College, Canterbury...
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since 2003 - Prof Albert Weale, Professor of Government from 1992-2009 at the University of EssexUniversity of EssexThe University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
- Mike WinchMike WinchMike Winch is a retired British shot putter who won a Commonwealth silver medal in the 1974 Christchurch and 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games....
, Commonwealth Games shot-putter and national coach - Eric James, Baron James of RusholmeEric James, Baron James of RusholmeEric John Francis James, Baron James of Rusholme was a prominent British educator.He was educated at York Place Secondary School, Brighton, Taunton's School, Southampton and Queen's College, Oxford. He taught science at Winchester College from 1933 to 1945, and was High Master of The Manchester...
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(1945-62) and first Vice-Chancellor of the University of YorkUniversity of YorkThe University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
(1962-73)
Rebuild Project
The college building is too small to offer the curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
it wishes to and is currently not large enough to accommodate the students attending; around 1200. The building was constructed in 1930s as a boys' grammar school for 500 students and the Principal believes it is not suitable for modern needs. The plans would completely knock down the old building but the design of the new one is keeping with the same style; revolving around an open air courtyard. When completed the college will be able to offer modern facilities and teaching spaces for all subjects. The plans also include an extension to the Downs View Link College on the same site, which provides education and care for 16 to 19-year-olds with physical and mental disabilities and new block, including a gym and hydrotherapy pool, which will provide for up to 100 under 25s with severe learning difficulties and disabilities. If all goes according to plan, construction should be complete by 2015. Principal Dr. Philip Harland has said recently, "the current plans for re-constructing the College will cause controversy within the local community and area, but hopefully these people will realise the potential in these plans for future students and will approach the ideas with a more positive attitude." (April 2008).
During 2010 it became clear that funds for a major rebuild project would not be made available in the foreseeable future. The college will, however, undergo extensive renovation work over the next few years.