Bedford College is a further education college located in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, Bedfordshire, England. It is the principal further education provider in the

Borough of Bedford The Borough of Bedford is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based in Bedford, its namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire. The borou ...

, and is a member of the

Collab Group Collab Group is a membership organisation representing a network of 29 colleges and college groups of further education in the United Kingdom. Collab Group offers services to both public and private sector clients. They work with their members to ...

of high performing schools.

History

Further Education courses have been provided on Bedford College's Cauldwell Street campus under some name since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, although its roots can be traced to the founding of Bedford Training College for Teachers in 1882. Following construction of the college's six-storey tower block, opened on 19 June 1959, the college became known as Mander College of Further Education. The college was named after Sir Frederick Mander, who was Chairman of

Bedfordshire County Council Bedfordshire County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Bedfordshire in England. It was established on 24 January 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009. The county council was based in Bedford. In 1997 Luton Borough ...

at the time of the tower's construction. The tower was erected at a cost of £282,510, plus £4,085 for external works. In 1976 the college combined with two teacher training institutions to form the split-site

Bedford College of Higher Education Bedford College of Higher Education was a higher education institution in Bedford, England, specializing in teacher training. History Until 1976, three separate institutions offered tertiary education in Bedford: Bedford College of Physical Edu ...

. The college remained in this form until 1992, when Further Education colleges achieved independent status from

local education authorities Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...

. Bedford College was formed as a Further Education Institute to concentrate on provision within this sector, remaining at the Cauldwell Street campus. The Higher Education areas of the college separated in 1994 to become the

campus of the

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was tak ...

, but later merged with the

University of Luton The University of Bedfordshire is a public research university with campuses in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England. The University has roots from 1882, however, it gained university status in 1993 as the University of Luton. The Univers ...

to form the

University of Bedfordshire The University of Bedfordshire is a public research university with campuses in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England. The University has roots from 1882, however, it gained university status in 1993 as the University of Luton. The Universi ...

. Bedford College retains some Higher Education provision, and provides a number of foundation degrees and select teaching qualifications in association with the University of Bedfordshire. In January 2008 it was announced that Bedford College (with the

Harpur Trust The Harpur Trust is a charity in Bedford, England. The stated aim of the charity is to help and support the people who live in and around Bedford, and to help them improve their lives by: * providing and promoting education * offering help and ...

) intended to sponsor John Bunyan Upper School (a state comprehensive school in Bedford) thereby turning the school into an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. This was confirmed by

the following June. Bedford Academy opened in September 2010. BedfordCollegeEntrance

In July 2009, the college was formally awarded Beacon Status by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The status means that Bedford College has been recognised as one of the best further education colleges in the United Kingdom. In August 2009, it was announced that Shuttleworth College had become part of Bedford College. Shuttleworth College had previously been part of

Writtle College Writtle University College is a university college located in Writtle near Chelmsford, Essex. It was founded in 1893. Writtle obtained University College status in May 2016. Its countryside estate features a wide range of facilities, includin ...

. In September 2012, Bedford College leased the site of the former Bedford High School for a campus in the north of Bedford town centre. Bedford High School closed over the summer of 2012. The college bought the old main school buildings, Trinity Church, and the Sports and Performing Arts (SPA) complex from owners, the

in March 2014. The Bedford Sixth Form occupies the campus (Bedford College's branding of its

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

provision). The SPA complex became Trinity Arts & Leisure, managed by Bedford College Services Ltd. In August 2017, Bedford College and Tresham College merged to become The Bedford College Group which includes Shuttleworth College, and The Bedford Sixth Form, as well as campuses in Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby.

Bedford College Today

Bedford College offers a range of academic and vocational qualifications,

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

, access to higher education courses, higher education qualifications and foundation education programmes. The areas of study include – Shuttleworth ag college

The Bedford Sixth Form

The Bedford Sixth Form is a

centre operated by Bedford College on the site of the former Bedford High School. Courses offered include

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

, A Levels and BTECs.

Shuttleworth College

Shuttleworth College located in

Old Warden Old Warden is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 328. The Shuttleworth Collection of ...

Central Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created in 2009. Formation Central Bedfordshire was created on 1 April 2009 as part of a structural reform of local government in Bedfor ...

is operated by Bedford College. Shuttleworth College mainly provides courses and training related to agriculture and the

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses ...

The Learning Centres

Bedford College also operates four 'Learning Centres' located in the town centres of

, Milton Keynes,

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...

and

Rushden Rushden is a market town and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, around east of Northampton. The parish is on the border with Bedfordshire, north of Bedford. The parish of Rushden covers an area of some . The population of Rushde ...

which offer IT skills and courses.

Bedford College Academies Trust

Bedford College formed Bedford College Academies Trust in 2013. The Trust was the initial sponsor of Bedford Academy, located in the Kingsbrook area of Bedford, along with the

. In April 2014, Bedford College became a new sponsor of

UTC Central Bedfordshire UTC Central Bedfordshire was a University Technical College (UTC) in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, England. The college opened in September 2012 and specialised in education for future engineers, product and games designers. It closed in August ...

in Houghton Regis, and worked on building a new centre for students with the highest levels of need. This was at the request of the Department for Education after the UTC failed an inspection. However, the UTC closed in August 2016 after failing to attract a sufficient number of pupils. In October 2014, it was announced that Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College at

Kempston Kempston is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census. Kempston is part of Bedford, Bedford's built-up area and is situated directly sout ...

would convert to an academy in partnership with Bedford College. The school was later renamed Kempston Academy, and after extending its lower age range in 2017 is now a secondary school. Today the trust is the sponsor of

Wixams Academy Wixams Academy is a Mixed-sex education, co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Wixams in the English county of Bedfordshire. The school was constructed by Willmott Dixon and opened in 2017. It is sponsored by Bedford College ...

and Wixams Tree Primary, both located in

Wixams Wixams is a new town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England, which has been under construction since early 2007. It is expected to become the third largest settlement in the Borough of Bedford after Bedford itself and Kempston, and on ...

References

External links

Bedford College

Shuttleworth College

The Bedford Sixth Form

Bedford College Employer Training Services

Bedford College Academies Trust
{{Coord, 52.13315, N, 0.46726, W, type:edu_region:GB, display=title Education in Bedford Further education colleges in Bedfordshire Further education colleges in the Collab Group Learning and Skills Beacons Educational institutions established in 1882 Educational institutions established in 1959 1882 establishments in England 1959 establishments in England