City of Bristol College is a
further education
Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...
and
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
college in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, England.
It provides courses for young people and adults aged 16 and above in areas such as: A Levels, Animal Care, Floristry, Horticulture, Applied Forensic and Medical Science, Business, Catering and Hospitality, Computing, Construction, Creative and Performing Arts, Engineering and Manufacturing, ESOL and GCSEs, Hair, Beauty and Holistic Therapies, Health and Social Care and Childcare, Motor Vehicle and Transport, Public Services, Health and Fitness, Travel and Tourism and many more.
History
City of Bristol College traces its roots back to the educational initiatives of the
Society of Merchant Venturers
The Society of Merchant Venturers is a charitable organisation in the English city of Bristol.
The society can be traced back to a 13th-century guild which funded the voyage of John Cabot to Canada. In 1552, it gained a monopoly on sea trading ...
in the sixteenth century.
The college was formed in 1996 when Brunel College merged with South Bristol College. It subsequently merged with Soundwell College and smaller establishments such as the College of Care and Early Years Education.
In 2013 the college was awarded
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 ...
's lowest rating, 'inadequate'; and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment were judged to be both inadequate and very inconsistent.
In 2015 the Soundwell centre was closed and some buildings on the Ashley Down Campus sold to developers.
In February 2016, a
Whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
from the college told the
Bristol Post
The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...
that the college was to be rated inadequate as a result of its January
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 ...
inspection. On 10 march,
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 ...
confirmed that the college had dropped from its previous 'Requires improvement' grade to 'Inadequate' - the organisation's lowest rating.
In June 2017, the college was rated by Ofsted as requires improvement, with some elements of the college being good, like adult study programmes and provisions for learners with high needs.
Also in June 2017, the college was given a Silver Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) award. This award judges the quality of teaching and the outcomes they achieve at higher education level, as well as taking into account student satisfaction, employment outcomes and retention rates.
College centres
The college currently has four centres:
* College Green Centre
* Ashley Down Centre
* South Bristol Skills Academy
* Parkway at Filton
Formerly, there was also a Soundwell centre; it closed in 2015.
Some of the buildings of the Ashley Down Centre were originally constructed, as the
Muller Homes in the middle of the 19th century. In 1958 the buildings became Bristol College of Science and Technology. The site has been used as the film set for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. Muller Road, which runs near the site of the orphanage, is named after its founder. The site includes the college's university centre, classrooms and laboratories for a variety of courses.
The College Green Centre includes the sixth form centre with around 400 students undertaking
courses and 1,200 on vocational courses. The Advanced Engineering Centre offers engineering, aeronautical, manufacturing and automotive courses. The South Bristol Skills Academy opened in 2010 close to Hengrove Leisure Centre and
.
The college has a range of partnership agreements with other educational facilities. For 13 years the foundation degree dance programmes were based at the Bristol Community Dance Centre. Diploma and degree courses have also been run at dBs Music. The Skills Centre South West also provides courses to help people get into work, foundation and key skills and English for speakers of other languages. The college has also been an academic sponsor of the
City of Bristol College offers over 1,000 courses at all levels for school leavers, adult learners and international students, as well as training packages for employers.
Courses include Diplomas, A Levels, Apprenticeships and NVQs. University level courses include Foundation Degrees, HNCs and Access to HE in partnership with
.