Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, trading as London South East Colleges (LSEC), is a large college of further education and higher education operating in south-east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. It is a partner college of six of the twelve schools of the

University of Greenwich , mottoeng = "To learn, to do, to achieve" , former_name = Woolwich Polytechnic(1890–1970)Thames Polytechnic(1970–1992) , established = , type = Public university , budget = £214.9 million (2020) , administrative_staff = , chancel ...

. LSEC was established in 2016 by the amalgamation of Bromley College, Greenwich Community College and Bexley College. Its largest campus is in the town of

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

, and others are situated in Erith, Plumstead and

Orpington Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Ma ...

History and sites

Bromley and Orpington

The Bromley campus is just south of Bromley town centre on the A21. Bromley College was founded in 1959. On 1 August 2011, it merged with Orpington College, which became its Orpington campus. Built in 1972, Orpington College's tower block remains the tallest building in

. A

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

air-raid shelter was discovered in November 2008 during construction. This shelter would have housed Orpington residents from German bombing raids, and was buried when the Walnuts Shopping Centre was built. Bromley College of Further and Higher Education logo

Beginning in 2008, the Bromley campus it underwent a £26m overhaul. Buildings, dating back more than 30 years were demolished and a new hi-tech, eco-friendly four-storey block built, while the existing 10-storey block was refurbished. The new building houses a study and IT centre. The new library includes a quiet room and there is a new student common room. Following a competition held by the college, the new building was named "The Ozone" by winning student, Martin Baker. It was officially opened on 14 April 2011 by the mayor, accompanied by Jason Donovan, who unveiled a plaque. On 1 August 2016, Bromley College of Further & Higher Education merged with Bexley College and Greenwich Community College to become London South East Colleges. London South East Colleges is the trading name of Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, which is still the legal name.

Greenwich

The Greenwich campus of LSEC is on Plumstead Road between

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

and Plumstead. In its 2010 Ofsted inspection the college was judged ''"satisfactory"'' overall, with Sports, Leisure and Tourism, and ESOL provision rated as ''"good"''. This college was originally founded in 1921 as Woolwich College of Further Education. In 1998, Woolwich College amalgamated with Greenwich Community College to deliver the Adult and Community Learning contract for the

London Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. Greenwich Community College became part of LSEC in 2016.

Bexley

The Bexley campus of LSEC is in Erith. It dates back to 1906 when the building was built to a design by architect William Egerton, and then opened in 1907 as 'Erith Technical Institute'. It is on the residential Erith Road, on the last part of the ridge, in the east of the district on the border of Erith, at the junction of Erith Road and Upper Holly Hill Road. The building was for a time shared with Erith County School. It was formerly known as Erith College of Technology (ECOT) running Ordinary National Diplomas OND in Technology & Ordinary National Certificates ONC as well as Higher National Certificates HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering alongside A Levels and other vocational courses in Mechanical Engineering, Beauty, Hairdressing, Management and Construction. The former St Joseph's Campus at 269 Woolwich Road (

A206 List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the ...

) near Bostall Heath in

Abbey Wood Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross. Toponymy The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...

used to be the St Joseph's Convent Grammar School, a Catholic girls' school until 1979; there also was the Main Road campus in

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...

. Both sites were sold off for housing developments principally to earn revenue for the College. In 1971, a new campus was built on Tower Road in

Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...

and became known as Bexley College in 1993. The Grade II listed Holly Hill Campus offers engineering and construction courses. In 2014, the new main campus opened in Erith town centre, near to the station in Stonewood Road / Walnut Tree Road. The previous main campus at Tower Road in Belvedere was closed and as of October 2014 is being redeveloped by the new owners to provide housing. The Walnut Tree Road campus in Erith was built to be eco friendly with biomass boilers, LED lighting and rainwater flushing for the toilets. Bexley College merged with Bromley and Greenwich colleges in 2016 and thus became the Bexley campus of LSEC. In popular culture, the E4 drama ''

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

'' is filmed in

Thamesmead Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly con ...

. Many scenes take place around Southmere Lake and Bexley College was once also used as a setting.

Academic organisation

In further education the college offers a wide variety of vocational courses A new Hospitality, Food & Enterprise College opened in September 2014 at the Orpington Campus. Bromley College opened up a commercial training restaurant which is now open to the public. Bromley College partnerships with the

and Canterbury Christ Church University enable them to offer a range of courses providing higher education opportunities. The Bromley Children's University was launched in September 2014, with initial support from the National Children's University, a national programme aimed at increasing social mobility and aspiration among children.

Notable alumni

Hanif Kureishi Hanif Kureishi (born 5 December 1954) is a British playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and novelist of South Asian and English descent. In 2008, ''The Times'' included Kureishi in its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Early l ...

CBE – Writer, studied at Bromley College.Hanif Kureishi official website
. Retrieved 30 April 2014. * Peter Whittle AM – Member of the London Assembly, founder and director of the New Culture Forum, and former deputy leader of the

UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...

, studied at Bromley College * Gemma Gibbons – London 2012 Olympic Judo Silver Medallist, studied (2004–06) at Greenwich Community College *

Sam Bailey Samantha Florence Bailey (born 29 June 1977) is an English pop singer who won the tenth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2013. Following her win, her debut single, a cover of Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper" was released on 15 December 2013, achieving ...

, Bexley College *

Neal Lawson Neal Lawson (born 1963) is a British political commentator and organiser. Lawson was born in and brought up in the 1960s and '70s in Bexleyheath, South East London. He became interested in politics through his father, who was a printer in Fleet S ...

, Bexley College * H. E. Merritt (1899-1974), Bexley College * Linda Smith, stand-up comic and Radio 4 and BBC2 comedian, Bexley College *

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

CBE, musician famous for ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'', studied piano and violin at St Joseph's Convent Grammar School *

Jan Leeming Jan Leeming (born Janet Dorothy Atkins; 5 January 1942) is an English TV presenter and newsreader. Early life and personal life Leeming was born in Barnehurst, Kent, and educated at the Assumption Convent, Charlton and St Joseph's Convent Gr ...

(''née'' Atkins), stalwart 1980s and 1990s newsreader on

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, studied at St Joseph's Convent Grammar School *

David Evennett Sir David Anthony Evennett (born 3 June 1949, Romford) is a Conservative politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bexleyheath and Crayford at the 2005 general election. Previously he was the MP for Erith and Crayford betwee ...

, Conservative MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford and former MP for Erith and Crayford from 1983–97, was a teacher at Bexley College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bromley College Of Further and Higher Education Further education colleges in London Education in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Education in the London Borough of Bromley Education in the London Borough of Bexley Educational institutions established in 1959 1959 establishments in England 1921 establishments in England