City College Norwich is a college of further and higher education in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England. It is one of the largest colleges in the country. The College has expanded in recent years following mergers with Easton College in 2020 and

Paston College ;"Better to better everywhere" , established = , type = Sixth form college , religious_affiliation = , head_label = Principal , head = Corrienne Peasgood , chair_label = , chair = , founder = Sir ...

North Walsham North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, within the North Norfolk district. Demography The civil parish has an area of and in the 2011 census had a population of 12,634. For the purposes of local government, the pa ...

in 2017.

Overview

City College Norwich has over 11,000 students on a wide range of full and part-time courses for young people and adults. These include around 1,000 students on higher education courses and 1,500 learners on Apprenticeships. The College can trace its origins back to 1891 when the first Technical School in Norwich was opened. City College Norwich moved to its current site on Ipswich Road, in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, Norfolk, England, in 1953. The college also has a site at Norfolk House in Norwich city centre, which is home to its School of Higher Education. In its most recent inspections, in 2013, 2017 and 2021, City College Norwich was graded as 'Good' by

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 ...

. Its provision for learners with high needs is rated as 'Outstanding'. In 2009 the College won a

Queen's Anniversary Prize The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are a biennially awarded series of prizes awarded to universities and colleges in the further and higher education sectors within the United Kingdom. Uniquely it forms part of the Bri ...

for Higher and Further Education for its work with students with

Asperger's Syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behav ...

. The College's RUGroom provides a safe haven and a social and study space for students with AS and other

Autistic Spectrum The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Disorders. The unique ingredient has been the involvement of the College's AS learners – who named themselves ''"The Really Useful Group"'' – in the design of an AS friendly physical environment which developed into the RUGroom. The RUGroom was opened in February 2008 by

Charles Clarke Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006. Early life Th ...

, a member of parliament at the time. In 2010, the College's Students' Union was a runner-up in the

NUS NUS or Nus may refer to: * National University of Singapore * Nus, a town in the Aosta Valley of Italy * Neglected and Underutilized Species, or Neglected and Underutilized Crops * National Union of Students (Australia) * National Union of Students ...

''Further Education Union of the Year'' award.

Campuses

The College's main campus in

is located close to the city centre on Ipswich Road. The Norwich Building was opened in 1953 and other buildings have been opened at various times since. A planned redevelopment of the entire Ipswich Road site did not go ahead due to mismanagement of a college building programme by the

Learning and Skills Council The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in England. It closed on 31 Marc ...

in 2009. Despite this setback, the college site has undergone substantial redevelopment in recent years, with a new £5.7M Creative Arts Building and the redevelopment of Broadland Drive which included a new centre for learners with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities. The Ipswich Road campus is also home to the Debut Restaurant, based within the College's Hotel School, which is open to the public during term time. Members of the public can also visit the College's Solutions Hair Salon and Beauty Salon and Solutions Gym. There is also a theatre on campus, Platform Theatre, which stages regular productions by music, musical theatre, dance and acting students. The College also has a site at Norfolk House in the centre of Norwich, where

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

-validated degrees and other Higher Education programmes are taught. Courses in Aviation Engineering, and a degree in Professional Aviation Engineering Practice, are taught at the International Aviation Academy Norwich (IAAN), at

Norwich Airport Norwich Airport is an international airport in Hellesdon, Norfolk, England, north of Norwich. In 2017, Norwich Airport was the 28th busiest airport in the UK and busiest in the East Anglia region. Norwich Airport has a CAA Public Use Aero ...

. A shop "Ego", staffed by the College's retail students, opened in 2011, giving retail students the opportunity to experience the full range of roles within a real working environment. A £9m building for digital skills training is due to open in 2020-21. Provision at

in North Walsham is based on two sites in the heart of the town, the Griffons and the Lawns. Easton College, located in the village of Easton, occupies over 200 hectares of countryside. Facilities include a working farm, Equestrian Centre, and Easton Tennis Centre

Principal

The principal of City College Norwich is Jerry White, being appointed in the summer for 2022 taking over from Corrienne Peasgood. Peasgood worked as a lecturer, senior lecturer, director, vice principal, deputy principal and acting principal, before taking over as principal of the college from Dick Palmer in 2012. Palmer went on to lead the TEN Group as its chief executive from 2012 to 2017.

Notable alumni

Tom Aikens Tom Aikens (born 1970), also named Tom Aitkens, is an English Michelin-starred chef. Aikens briefly worked for chefs in London and Paris restaurants. Under his tenure from 1996 to 1999 as head chef and then chef patron, Pied à Terre earned it ...

– professional and Michelin starred chef *

Franklin Allen Franklin Allen, (born 6 March 1956) is a British economist and academic. Since 2014, he has been professor of finance and economics, and executive director of the Brevan Howard Centre at Imperial College London. He was the Nippon Life Prof ...

– economist *

Sam Claflin Samuel George Claflin (born 27 June 1986) is an English actor. After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, he began his acting career on television and had his first film role as Philip Swift in '' Pirates of t ...

– actor *

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

– comedian and actor *

Sigala Bruce Fielder, known professionally as Sigala, is a British DJ and music producer. He has had eight songs peak within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, including his 2015 debut single " Easy Love", which samples "ABC" by the Jackson 5. Ca ...

- musician *

Rodolfo González Rodolfo González (born 14 May 1986 in Caracas) is a retired Venezuelan racing driver. Career Formula Renault After previously competing in karting, González raced in the 2003 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series, before racing in the main ...

– motor racing driver *

Alfie Hewett Alfie Hewett (born 6 December 1997) is a British wheelchair tennis player. He is the current world No. 1 in doubles, and a former world No. 1 in singles. Hewett is a 21-time major champion, having won six titles in singles and 15 in doubles, ...

– wheelchair tennis player *

Jon McGregor Jon McGregor (born 1976) is a British novelist and short story writer. In 2002, his first novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize, making him then the youngest ever contender. His second and fourth novels were longlisted for the Booker Prize ...

– novelist and short story writer *

Derek Rayner, Baron Rayner Derek George Rayner, Baron Rayner (30 March 1926 – 26 June 1998) was an English businessman, who was chairman and chief executive of Marks & Spencer, and revived and rapidly expanded the company in the 1980s. He began working for M&S in 1953 as ...

– former CEO of Marks and Spencer *

Deric Daniel Waters Deric Daniel Waters or Dan Waters (; 5 November 1920 – 27 January 2016) was a British educator, scholar of building science and heritage conservationist. He was the founding principal of the Morrison Hill Technical Institute in Hong Kong ...

– educator, scholar of building science and heritage conservationist *

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...

- musician

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1891 1891 establishments in England Further education colleges in Norfolk Buildings and structures in Norwich Education in Norwich