Tower College is an English independent non-denominational Christian school for boys and girls aged 3–16.

History

The school is named after the main school building, the former private residence, ''The Tower,'' on Mill Lane,

Rainhill Rainhill is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The population at the 2011 census was 10,853. Historically part of Lancashire, Rainhill was a township in the ecclesiastical parish of Prescot ...

near

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civil parish population was 11,184 (5,265 males, 5,919 femal ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

. Designed in free

Jacobethan The Jacobethan ( ) architectural style, also known as Jacobean Revival, is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the Engli ...

style and built in 1880 for the Henry Baxter family, the main building’s exterior features balustrades, parapets, and high Elizabethan style chimneys. The interior has an main stair hall with stained glass windows and wood panelled rooms in Jacobean style with decorative ceilings. The Tower operated as a war hospital during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 2006, the main school building was considered for listed status, but the inspection found too many original features had been altered since its adaptation as a hospital and school. Charles and Muriel Oxley bought The Tower and established the school in 1948. While continuing to operate Tower College, Oxley later established two other schools,

Scarisbrick Hall School Scarisbrick Hall School is a mixed private school, located in Scarisbrick Hall, Lancashire, England, that educates children from nursery to age 18. History Scarisbrick Hall is a 150-room mansion built between 1830 and 1860 by the architect Aug ...

, near

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Ormski ...

in 1963, and

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

, in Lanarkshire in 1983. After Charles and Muriel Oxley died, their daughter Rachel Oxley became Principal. As of 2024, Tower College’s principal is Andrea Bingley.

Curriculum

The school has a broad curriculum covering all major subjects, together with specialist sports, music and languages. Extracurricular activities include choir, instrument ensembles, performing arts and sports. Exam results at Tower College are often above the local and national averages.

Reputation

Tower College aims to have clear communication with parents. With the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the school invested in online learning where teachers offer live online lessons and a ‘virtual exam hall’, where invigilation can be conducted by teachers via Zoom, a development widely reported in national media. Aside from public examinations, students take part in competitive music, sports, and public speaking. Students take part in the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

of St Helens public speaking competition and have represented the region in the ‘Youth Speaks’ competition. Also known for charity fundraising, Tower College holds fundraising events throughout the school. This has included raising money for the local Willowbrook Hospice in

Eccleston Park Eccleston is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 10,433. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the early history of Eccleston is marked ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Private schools in St Helens, Merseyside Educational institutions established in 1948 Member schools of the Independent Schools Association (UK) 1948 establishments in England