Harlow College

Harlow College

Type	Further education college
Location	Velizy Avenue Harlow Essex CM20 3LH England
Local authority	Essex
DfE URN	130676
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	16+
Website	www.harlow-college.ac.uk

Harlow College (formerly Harlow Technical College) is a Further Education college in Harlow, Essex. It was preceded by its homonym, a boys' boarding school situated in Old Harlow, which closed in 1965 (see below).

The college is distinguished by its record breaking success rates and its Journalism Centre, which it has operated since 1964.

Journalism Centre

From its formation in 1964, Harlow College's Journalism Centre sought to be a leading specialist journalism training centre in the country, with courses accredited through the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and the Periodical Training Council (PTC). The centre boasts strong links with Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, through a BA Hons Journalism degree.

The journalism centre is now the award-winning centre for the study of journalism in the whole of the UK. The journalism students studying at BTEC level are now able to use the new £9m University Centre Harlow facilities, which is part of Anglia Ruskin University.

The current college was predated by a boys' boarding school of the same name, originally dating from 1862, which was situated in Old Harlow.

The College today

The college is medium-sized in comparison to other UK Further Education colleges and has three main divisions:

• Corporate services
• Student-focused provision: the Sixth Form, the Vocational Studies Academy.
• Employer-focused provision: the Business & Technology Academy, The Creative Arts Academy, The Employer Response Unit.

In 2006/06, the college enrolled about 2,070 learners aged 16–18 and about 3,040 adult learners, with an income of around £20m.

Notable alumni

• John Earls - music journalist and broadcaster.
• Gareth Herincx - media editor.
• Mark Knopfler - musician, songwriter, composer, producer.
• Steve Lamacq - DJ.
• Felicity Landon - freelance journalist.
• Piers Morgan - journalist and television presenter.
• Norman Watt-Roy - bassist.
• Jaime Winstone - actress.
• Jeremy Clarkson - journalist /presenter
• Alan Rusbridger - journalist/editor
• Richard Madeley - journalist / broadcaster
• Charlie Thomas - Sky News sports presenter.
• John Linger, Brandon Jacobs and Tom Hawkins - founding members of post-punk band Neils Children.

The Harlow Harrier

In September 2010, five students created the college's first student paper - The Harlow Harrier.

It aims to give the latest news on student issues, jobs in journalism, sports news, and local politics.

The Founding Editor is Talal Musa.

Editors

September 2010 - January 2011: Georgie Campbell

February 2011 - September 2011: Max Walters

September 2012 - February 2013: Bianca Castro & Steven Slayford

The original 'Harlow College' 1862-1965

The Harlow College of today was preceded by a boys' school (boarding and day), originally known as St. Mary's College, but later as Harlow College. The college was opened by the Reverend Charles Miller on 29 May 1862, in Old Harlow. It was founded with the aim "to provide a superior education for the sons of gentlemen and (when sufficient amounts have been obtained) to train at low charge, the sons of missionaries abroad, of clergymen similarly engaged at home, as well as orphan sons of gentlemen who have been reduced in circumstances".

The original buildings were built by the architect R. J. Withers. A local newspaper reported at the time, that the sum of £3,500 had been obtained from a building society, repayable at £440 per year. The original design was estimated to cost £13,000 and with the whole forming a quadrangle, the front being lower by two stories than the rest. At the eastern end a chapel was planned, in similar style and architecture, for the sole use of students". When the school opened in May 1862, the eastern wing had been built, together with half the northern annexe, however, the projected front and chapel were never built, robbing the architect of his cloistered vision. The nearby church of St. John the Baptist was used as the school's chapel.

For most of its history, there were about 180 boys on the roll. The main building comprised dining hall, classrooms, library, sick rooms, dormitories, office and staff rooms. In addition to the main block, there was an art room, gymnasium, science lab, common room and two playing fields. The school provided a five to six year course in mathematics, French, science, geography, history and art. The boys played cricket, tennis and athletics in the summer term, football in the winter and cross-country in the spring.

Sources cite the 1904-35 period as a golden era for Harlow College, during which the college was under the headmastership of Ernest Percival Horsey. Under his leadership, the College prospered and became one of the best-known scholastic establishments in the area, with pupils attending from all over the world. A pupil in the 1920s remembered: "It was Mr. Horsey who made the school what it is".

In the early 1960s, various development plans were planned for the Old Harlow area. In 1964, Harlow College was told that the site occupied by the school would be required for housing and the College was, therefore, due for demolition the following year. The headmaster Roy Purgavie briefly looked into relocating to Hertfordshire, but this was not possible, and the College closed in 1965. The modern Jocelyns housing area now occupies the site.

There is an active old boys' society. http://oldharlovians.blog.co.uk/ and a website http://www.oldharlovians.co.uk/.

Headmasters of Harlow College

29 May 1862: Opened by Rev. Charles Miller

1889 - 1903: Rev. L. B. Towne

1904 - 1935: E. P. Horsey

1935 - 1939: ? Miller

1939 - 1962: K. L. Dames

1962 - 1965: Roy Purgavie

Notable alumni

• Gordon de Lisle Lee - Clarenceux King of Arms, 1862-1927.
• Herbert Marshall - actor, 1890-1966.
• George Fellowes Prynne - church designer, 1853-1927.
• Piers Morgan, former newspaper editor, television talk show host. Current host of Piers Morgan Tonight.