Priestley College
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Priestley Sixth Form and Community College is a
sixth form college A sixth form college (pre-university college in Malaysia) is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 study typically for advanced post-school level qualifications such as GCE Advanced Level, A Levels, Business and Technology Edu ...
in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It also offers adult courses and professional training on another site, and is an associate college of the
University of Salford The University of Salford is a Public university, public research university in Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, west of Manchester city centre. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford, which opened in 1896, be ...
. The college offers a range of courses, including AS/ A2 Levels, BTECs, Advanced Diplomas, functional skills, and pre-university foundation courses.


History

The college opened in 1979, though it was originally a female-only
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
called Warrington Girls' High School (and later Warrington High School for Girls) until 1974, and was administered by Warrington Education Committee. It was addressed as being on Menin Avenue until 1998, when it became administered by Warrington borough, previously being under Cheshire Education Committee. The college's current name is in honour of clergyman, chemist, and educator
Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, Unitarian, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher, English Separatist, separatist theologian, Linguist, grammarian, multi-subject educator and Classical libera ...
(1733–1804), a pioneer in teaching modern history and the sciences who is perhaps best known for discovering
oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
in 1774. A statue of him now stands inside the main entrance of the college.


Structure

It is a single campus college with seven buildings: * The Priestley Building houses the Viola Beach Café, administrative facilities, the finance department, and classrooms for graphics, biology, chemistry, physics, performing arts, and foreign languages. The Viola Beach Café, formerly known as the Wicked Café, was renamed following the death of the members of the rock band Viola Beach and their manager (all former Priestley students) in a car accident in the Swedish city of
Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. It is also a part of Stockholm urban area, Greater Stockholm Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, it has 73,872 inhabitants. Södertà ...
during their 2016 tour. * The Art Centre, completed in 2013, provides spare classrooms for creative art, textiles, and computer graphic design. * The Design Centre holds classrooms for 3D design and woodworking. * The Sports Centre has sports halls and resources for sports and physical education. * The Learning Resource Centre houses offices, the library, communal computers, and open-plan teaching areas. * The Crescent Building, completed in 2007, holds student services, a cafe, reception, and personnel, as well as classrooms for the departments of humanities, English, public services, law, business studies, religious studies, accounting, geography, and geology. * The Lewis Carroll building, completed in 2014, holds rooms for ICT.


Academic performance

In 2007, the college was ranked "Outstanding" after an
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...
inspection. In 2016, 89% of those graduating stayed in education or employment for at least two terms after studying at A level or level 3 vocational courses. 3.5% of students achieved AAB or higher in at least two facilitating subjects at A level, 12.7% below the national average. In 2018, the A* to B pass rate at the college was 38.2% and 68% of vocational grades were Distinction or Distinction*.


Transport connections

The college is an approximately 20 minute walk from the town centre. Cheshire Cat Buses serve Wilderspool Causeway, which passes the college. Services operate to Warrington Bus Interchange and in the opposite direction to
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
, Grappenhall, Hatton,
Northwich Northwich is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. It lies on the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane, east of Chester, south of Warrington and south of Ma ...
, and Stockton Heath. These services combine to provide buses from the college to the Bus Interchange and Stockton Heath every 10 minutes. The service 62 operates to Runcorn Shopping City and Warrington Bus Interchange in the opposite direction. This route is operated jointly between
Warrington's Own Buses Warrington's Own Buses is a municipal bus company which operates a network of services within the Borough of Warrington and the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, Earlestown, Wigan, Borough of Halton, Halto ...
and Halton Transport. The college also operates its own buses for students in conjunction with Warrington's Own Buses: *P1 –
Helsby Helsby is a village, Civil parishes in England, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Overlook ...
and
Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and Runcorn Docks, cargo port in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. Runcorn is on the south bank of the River Mersey, where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. It is upstream from the port of Live ...
via
Daresbury Daresbury is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 246. History The name means "Deor's fortification", derived from an Old English personal name and the word ''burh' ...
*P2 – Great Sankey, Hough Green, Penketh, and
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...
*P5 – Cadishead, Hollins Green,
Irlam Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salf ...
, and Woolston *P6 –
Golborne Golborne (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south-south-east of Wigan, north-east of Warrington and to the west of the city of Manchester. Along with the neighbouring village ...
,
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...
, Lowton,
Newton-le-Willows Newton-le-Willows, often shortened informally to Newton, is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 census was 24,642. Newton-le-Willows is on the ea ...
, and Winwick *18 – Burtonwood and Westbrook *19 – Croft, Culcheth, and Winwick *25 – Birchwood Services 18, 19, and 25 are regular passenger services that see their routes extended at certain times so that they originate or terminate at Priestley College rather than Warrington Interchange. From the 2018/19 academic year, services P3 and P4 were removed. The P4 was replaced by services 19 and 25.


Notable alumni

* George Bebbington, reality television star and media personality attended the college. * Viola Beach, a rock band whose members all attended the college.


References


External links


Priestley College official website

Priestley Training Services

EduBase
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Warrington Education in Warrington Learning and Skills Beacons Educational institutions established in 1979 Sixth form colleges in Cheshire 1979 establishments in England