Tower College is an English independent non-denominational Christian school for boys and girls aged 3–16.

History

The school is named after the main school building, the former private residence, ''The Tower,'' on Mill Lane,

Rainhill Rainhill is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 10,853. Historically part of Lancashire, Rainhill was formerly a townsh ...

near

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civ ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

. Designed in free

Jacobethan The Jacobethan or Jacobean Revival architectural style is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance (15 ...

style and built in 1880 for the Henry Baxter family, the main building’s exterior features balustrades, parapets, and high Elizabethan style chimneys. The interior has an impressive main stair hall with stained glass windows and many wood paneled rooms in Jacobean style with decorative ceilings. The Tower operated as a war hospital during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 2006, the main school building was considered for listed status, but the inspection found too many original features had been altered since its adaptation as a hospital and school. Charles and Muriel Oxley bought The Tower and established the school in 1948. While continuing to operate Tower College, Oxley later established two other schools,

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, near

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

in 1964, and

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

, in Lanarkshire in 1983. After Charles and Muriel Oxley died, their daughter, Rachel Oxley, became Principal. As of 2022, Tower College’s principal is Andrea Bingley.

Curriculum

The school has a broad curriculum covering all major subjects, together with specialist sport, music and languages teaching. Extracurricular activities include choir, instrument ensembles, performing arts and sports. Exam results at Tower College are often above the local and national averages.

Reputation

Tower College aims to have clear and transparent communication with parents. With the challenges of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the school invested in online learning where teachers offer live online lessons and a ‘virtual exam hall’, where invigilation can be conducted by teachers via zoom, a development widely reported in national media. Aside from public examinations, students take part in competitive music, squash, tennis and public speaking. Students take part in the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of St Helens public speaking competition and have represented the region in the ‘Youth Speaks’ competition. Also known for charity fundraising, Tower College holds fundraising events throughout the school. This has included raising money for the local Willowbrook Hospice in Eccleston Park.

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Private schools in St Helens, Merseyside Educational institutions established in 1948 Member schools of the Independent Schools Association (UK) 1948 establishments in England