Bexhill College is a

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

in the south-east of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The college is based in

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish situated in the county of East Sussex in South East England. An ancient town and part of the local government district of Rother, Bexhill is home to a number of arc ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

and is located on Penland Road, north-east of the town centre. The college has maintained an

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

rating of ''Good'' in its Ofsted report since 2010, with its most recent being in 2019.

History

Bexhill College is the direct successor of the County Schools for Boys and Girls, opened on 5 October 1926. In 1945 following the

Education Act Education Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States that relates to education. The Bill for an Act with this short title wil ...

, the schools became

Grammar Schools 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 school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...

. The Boys' and Girls' County Grammar Schools merged on 26 September 1970 and became a sixth form college in 1977. The college was initially located on Turkey Road in Sidley, but relocated officially to Penland Road in late c2006.

General information

As of 2018, the college enrolls nearly 2000 students with the majority of the day students aged 16–19. The main college buildings are located all on one site, with a wide range of facilities catering for the 80 plus courses available. The college also runs an adult learning centre, offering recreational evening and daytime classes as well as a range of qualification courses. The college is co-located with post-16 students of Glyne Gap School. The Glyne Gap students have been given their own open-air space within the college grounds.

Facilities

Bexhill College has a variety of facilities, all located on its 5.6-hectare site. * Izzard Theatre was opened in December 2013 by

Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...

. It is a 200-seater space, with retractable seating. The theatre is used for multiple events such as shows performed by students to assemblies and political hustings. *Sports facilities consist of a 3G all weather pitch, 2 dance studios, an indoor multisport hall, a climbing wall, 3 tennis courts, a large grass training area and a modern gym. *Learning Resource Centre (LRC) *Hair training salon *Catering kitchen *Recording studio *Music and music technology suites *Fully equipped TV studio / editing suite *Drama Studio *Refectory *Science Laboratories

Current student life

Students who attend the college are from Bexhill and the surrounding areas of

Rother Rother may refer to: General *Rother (surname) (also sometimes spelled Röther) *Rother District, a local government district in East Sussex, England *Rother FM, an independent local radio station for Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England *Rother Kup ...

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

and

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

. Full-time students study a wide range of courses including vocational ones,

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 ...

and

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

qualifications. The college will additionally begin to offer T-Levels from 2021. Enrichment The college’s enrichment programme gives students the opportunity to take part in extra-curricular activities throughout the year. The college also offers a sport academy programme, which means students represent their college in competitions or games, alongside their studies. The sports available are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Football (the academy is in association with

Chelsea FC Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. Th ...

foundation), Golf, Netball, Performing arts, Rugby, Swimming, Table tennis, Tennis and Volleyball. There is also a Performing Arts Academy in which the students can develop their full potential in singing, dancing, acting and performing.

International students

International students have a choice of accommodation, which include Bexhill College’s own student houses or living with a Host Family.

Adult education

Despite being primarily for 16-19 year olds, Bexhill College offers adult education classes. These are run through the day and as evening classes. The college offers professional qualifications such as certificates, diplomas, as well as a wide range of GCSEs and other recreational courses.

Notable alumni

Godfrey Argent Bernard Godfrey Argent (6 February 1937 – 1 June 2006) was an English photographer notable for his black and white portraits of royalty, politicians, aristocrats and celebrities. Early life Argent was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, the son of mot ...

, photographer *

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Saturd ...

, comedian, writer and actress *

Michael Cowpland Michael Cowpland (born April 23, 1943 in Bexhill-on-Sea) is a British-born entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder and one-time president, chairman and CEO of Corel, a Canadian software company. Career Mitel Cowpland worked for Bell Northern ...

, businessman *

Gordon Hillman Gordon Hillman (20 July 1943 – 1 July 2018) was a British archaeobotanist and academic at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. He has been described as "a pivotal figure in the development of archaeobotany at the Institute of Archaeology at Univer ...

, archaeologist *

Mike Leadbitter Michael Andrew Leadbitter (12 March 1942 - 16 November 1974) was a British writer, researcher, magazine editor, and a leading authority on blues music, who had an important role in the revival of interest in the blues, particularly in the UK in the ...

, journalist *

James McCartney James Louis McCartney (born 12 September 1977) is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is the only son of singer, songwriter, and former Beatle Paul McCartney. He has contributed to solo albums by his parents, including ''Flaming Pi ...

, musician *

Stella McCartney Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCa ...

, fashion designer *

Hayley Okines Hayley Leanne Okines (3 December 1997 – 2 April 2015) was an English author and activist who was a sufferer of the extremely rare aging disease progeria. She was known for spreading awareness of the condition. Although the average life e ...

, activist * John Pitman, journalist *

Francis Robinson Francis Christopher Rowland Robinson CBE, DL, FRAS (born 23 November 1944 in Barnet) is a British historian and academic who specialises in the history of South Asia and Islam. Since 1990, he has been Professor of History of South Asia at the Un ...

, historian *

Charity Wakefield Charity Rose Wakefield is an English actress. Her appearances include roles in ''Sense & Sensibility'' (2008), ''Casualty 1900s'' (2008–2009), ''Wolf Hall'' and ' (2015), '' Close to the Enemy'' (2016), ', ''Genius'' and ''Bounty Hunters'' (20 ...

, actress

References

External links

Bexhill College
{{authority control International Baccalaureate schools in England Sixth form colleges in East Sussex Bexhill-on-Sea