Richard Huish College, Taunton
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Richard Huish College | |
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![]() Richard Huish College Front Sign, December 2015 | |
Address | |
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South Road , , TA1 3DZ | |
Information | |
Local authority | Somerset |
Department for Education URN | 130808 Tables |
Ofsted | Reports |
Principal | John Abbott |
Gender | Mixed |
Website | www.huish.ac.uk |
Richard Huish College is a further education and sixth-form college in Taunton, Somerset, England. Located on a single site in South Road, about a mile from the center of Taunton, it offers A-level courses, apprenticeships and vocational courses.
The college has around 2,000 full-time students aged 16–18 studying A Levels and BTEC courses, and 500 studying for apprenticeships and professional qualifications. A small number of GCSEs are offered for 16-year-old students wanting to progress to the sixth form.
History
The college is named after Richard Huish, a Taunton wool merchant in the 17th century who invested in property in London. He died in 1615 and his will included an endowment to establish almshouses in Taunton and support local people's university education. Increased income from the properties in the nineteenth century allowed this to be expanded to create both boys and girls schools in Taunton. The boy's school opened in 1875 in what are now the town's Municipal Buildings but by 1891 had moved to East Street. The girls's school opened in The Crescent in 1876 but the charity was unable to support both schools so the girl's school was funded by Bishop Fox's endowment from 1890.[1] Since 1979, Richard Huish College has been a sixth form college.[citation needed]
Campus
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Richard_Huish_College%2C_Taunton.jpg/220px-Richard_Huish_College%2C_Taunton.jpg)
The college occupies a site of 8 hectares (20 acres), of which 70% is sports fields, in the south of Taunton. Its buildings, which range in age from 1880 to 2015, take their names from some of the trees that cover the campus. The site is alleged to have previously been an Aboretum.
Over the period 2000–2009, a variety of building projects resulted in the Willow Building, the Hawthorn Building, Linden, and in 2009 Rowan House. In 2003, the Learning Centre at the heart of the campus, which is named after the science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, a former pupil of Huish's Grammar School, was extended and completely refurbished.
In 2006 the sports dome was opened, which at the time was a ground breaking project for an inflatable dome for sports. It is due to be replaced during 2016, by a sports hall, including a viewing area, gym, changing facilities and a classroom. During 2015, a new cafe area and social space was built, including the first floor Redwood Suite. The cafe area includes a Costa Coffee. The Redwood Centre was renovated to house the drama and dance studios.
Curriculum
The college offers a large range of A Level and BTEC subjects. There are more than 45 subjects offered at A Level (Level 3). As well as traditional school subjects, many other A Level subjects are offered such as archaeology, classical civilisation, dance, economics, environmental studies, geology, government and politics, law, photography, psychology, sociology and statistics.
An increasing range of BTEC courses (Level 3 vocational courses equivalent to A Levels) are offered. They currently include applied science, business, creative media production, graphic design, health and social care/health sciences, information technology, music production, popular music and sport. A small number of GCSEs are offered for those wanting to progress to the sixth form. The College places a strong emphasis on the breadth of its enrichment activities for students.
The college also delivers apprenticeships and traineeships in the areas of accountancy, medical administration, business and administration, call centre operations, customer service, healthcare, IT user and IT professional, team leading and management, health and social care. At Level 4 and above, the college offers FdA and BA degrees in business and sports development and coaching, and professional courses in Accountancy (AAT, ACCA and CIMA) and Institute of Leadership and Management course (ILM). There are also short courses in computer skills and bespoke training services.
Exam results
The college's A2-Level exam results are as follows:[2]
- 2003/2004 - 99.3% pass rate
- 2004/2005 - 99.7% pass rate: A-B: 71%
- 2005/2006 - 99.8%+ pass rate: A-B: 75%
- 2006/2007 - 99.2%+ pass rate: A-B: 74%
- 2007/2008 - 99%+ pass rate: A-B: 55%
- 2008/2009 - 99%+ pass rate: A-B: 69%
- 2009/2010 - 99.3% pass rate: A-B: 55.9%
- 2010/2011 - 99.4% pass rate: A-B: 58.8%
- 2011/2012 - 99.1% pass rate: A-B: 56.5%
- 2012/2013 - 99.1% pass rate: A-B: 55.2%
- 2013/2014 - 98.7% pass rate: A-B: 55%
- 2014/2015 - 99% pass rate: A-B: 57%
Notable students
- Gareth Andrew, cricketer currently playing for Oxfordshire, former player of Worcestershire, Somerset and Hampshire Cricket Clubs[3]
- Andrew Castle, former British number one tennis player and television presenter[4]
- Matt Chorley, journalist and broadcaster.[5]
- Arthur C. Clarke, author and inventor[6]
- Stephen Daldry, film and theatre director. His films include Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002), The Reader (2008) and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)[7]
- Neil Edwards, former Somerset and Nottinghamshire cricketer[8]
- Carl Gazzard, former County Cricketer for Somerset[9]
- William Gibson, professor of ecclesiastical history at Oxford Brookes University[10]
- Rebecca Huxtable, producer and co-presenter of The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1[11]
- Jack Leach, England international cricketer currently playing for Somerset County Cricket Club[12]
- Hannah McKeand, polar explorer who set the record for the fastest journey to the South Pole in 2006[13]
- Keith Parsons, cricketer[14]
- Michael Parsons, former player of Somerset County Cricket Club[15]
- Adam Pengilly, British skeleton racer[16]
- Andy Robinson, former head coach of the England national rugby union team[4]
- Edward S. Shire, physicist who co-invented the radar proximity fuse, also worked with John Cockroft and Ernest Rutherford[17]
- Sam Spurway, former cricketer[18]
- Paul Williams, Church of England bishop[19]
- Linda Woodhead, professor and academic specialist in religious studies at Lancaster University[20]
- Robert Woodman, cricketer currently playing for Devon County Cricket Club[21]
Sport
Huish Sport runs a sports enrichment programme. Each year, over 500 students participate in Huish Sport across 19 different sports.
Richard Huish College currently offers performance sport programmes for Cricket, Football, Rugby and Basketball. There is also the 'Active Huish' scheme which encourages students to take part in sports they previously would not have considered and also provides a more relaxed atmosphere in which to exercise.
References
- ^ Bush, Robin (1983). Jeboult's Taunton. Buckingham: Baracuda Books. p. 73. ISBN 0-86023-186-0.
- ^ "Department for Children, Schools and Families". Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ "Gareth Andrew". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ a b Colledge, Matthew (27 January 2014). "Top 10 celebrity links to Taunton". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/18407482.matt-chorley-host-political-show-times-radio/
- ^ "The Huish Award 2016". Arthur C. Clarke Foundation. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ Cole, Amy (3 February 2017). "Stephen Daldry, director of The Crown on Netflix, says Taunton will always be home". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ "Neil Edwards". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Carl Gazzard". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Reputation". Richard Huish College. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "About us > Why we are outstanding > Reputation | Richard Huish College". www.huish.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Jack Leach". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Solo skier Hannah reaches South Pole in record time". West Somerset Free Press. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ Shimmon, Katie (27 September 2005). "College days Name: Keith Parsons". Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ "Michael Parsons". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ BBC. "Pengilly's 85mph bob skeleton". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Janus: The Papers of Edward Shire". janus.lib.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Sam Spurway". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Paul Williams , Cleric • Biography & Facts". Biography & Facts. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "THIS WEEKEND: Taunton Literary Festival 2016 to start - here's what you can look forward to". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Rob Woodman". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
External links
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