Northampton College is a

further education college 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. It ...

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...

, England, which opened in 1973, following building work which started in 1970. The college's main campus is at Booth Lane which provides almost all courses offered, and later expanded to include its Daventry campus after merging with Daventry Tertiary College in August 2004, and its Lower Mounts campus after its facility in the town centre was extended in 2010. The Booth Lane campus has just undergone a massive redevelopment, reopening for study in 2012. The college is one of the largest further education colleges in the

South Midlands The South Midlands is an area of England which includes Northamptonshire, the northern parts of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and the western part of Bedfordshire. Unlike the East Midlands or West Midlands, the South Midlands is not one of t ...

, with around 7,000 full-time and part-time students.

History

Booth Lane

Towards the end of the 1960s, the

Northampton Borough Council Northampton Borough Council was the borough council and non-metropolitan district responsible for local government in the large town of Northampton in England. In 2021 the council was abolished and succeeded by West Northamptonshire Council; a un ...

Education Committee and Chief Education Officer, MJ Henley MA, identified the need for a new

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. It ...

college in Northampton to complement the existing College of Technology and School of Art (now part of the Avenue campus of

University of Northampton , mottoeng = Let us not be ignorant , established = 2005 (gained University status) 1975 (Nene College established) , type = Public , endowment = £0.95 m (2015) , chancellor = Richard Coles , vice_chancellor ...

). The need arose from continuing pressure on the accommodation available at those establishments and the anticipated expansion of the population over the period 1971 to 1981. The first phase of the building project began at the Booth Lane site in November 1970, completed in time to welcome new students in September 1972. The college was officially opened on 18 May 1973 by Lord Belstead, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science. The second phase was completed in time for September 1974. Northampton College grew and saw the construction of other buildings to its complex at Booth Lane over the next few decades. The Booth Lane site was completely re-developed between 2009 and 2012 following an £85m capital investment. The re-development was officially opened on 20 March 2012 by

The Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

. The building now contains a library, study areas, computer suites, a professional theatre, underground sound recording booths and performance space, automotive spray booths, engineering studios, dance studios, photographic laboratories, TV and radio studios and a restaurant, which is open to the public.

Lower Mounts

The Lower Mounts site in Northampton town centre was officially opened on 6 July 2011, by Skills Minister John Hayes MP. This is the home of the College's hairdressing and beauty therapy programmes including The Salon NC which is open to the public, plus courses for adults including English for Speakers of Other Languages and help with basic skills in English, Maths and IT.

Daventry Campus

In addition, the college has a site at Badby Road West in Daventry where it provides a range of full-time and part-time courses for young people and adults.

Partnerships

The college is part of the Northamptonshire Federation of Colleges and works closely with other education providers including

Moulton College Moulton College is a further education college based in Moulton, Northamptonshire, England. Although initially established as the Northamptonshire Institute of Agriculture in 1921, it now has expanded its teaching curriculum to cover a wid ...

, the

and

Tresham College Tresham College of Further and Higher Education (formerly Tresham Institute of Further and Higher Education) is a further education college in the East Midlands of England. Specifically located within Northamptonshire, the main campus is locate ...

, and a number of secondary schools. Partnerships have also been established with the South East Midlands Enterprise Partnership, Northamptonshire County Council, the Northamptonshire

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ...

and other bodies to provide targeted initiatives for local needs.

References

External links

The Northampton College website

Northampton College mini tour
{{Coord, 52.2596, -0.8481, type:edu_region:GB, display=title Further education colleges in Northamptonshire Education in West Northamptonshire District 1973 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1973