West Suffolk College is a Further Education college in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The college delivers a range of courses, including vocational and technical courses, Apprenticeships in the United Kingdom, apprenticeships, and an array of Higher apprenticeship, higher-apprenticeships and bachelor's degree courses accredited by the University of East Anglia. Over 12,000 students are enrolled at West Suffolk College.

Campuses

The main campus site is the Gateway Building situated on Out Risbygate in Bury St Edmunds. Th
Built Environment Campus
or Milburn Centre is situated on Anglian Lane and th
STEM Innovation Campus
an
University Studies Centre
is situated on Western Way. Both are a short walk from the sixth form campus. The college also ha
training centres
in Haverhill, Thetford, Sudbury and Ipswich, with courses also being taught in towns and villages across Suffolk including Clare, Pakenham, Thurston and Stowmarket.

Suffolk Academies Trust

The college is a sponsor of th
Suffolk Academies Trust
a collaboration wit
One Sixth Form College
in Ipswich an
Abbeygate Sixth Form College
in Bury St Edmunds. In 2016, Suffolk Academies Trust was given permission by the Department for Education to build a new sixth form, Abbeygate, in Bury St Edmunds. The sixth form will aim to cater for up to 1,700 pupils, offering more than 30 A-level courses to 16-19 year olds.

Eastern Colleges Group

West Suffolk College, Abbeygate Sixth Form in Bury St Edmunds and One Sixth Form College in Ipswich are collectively known as th
Eastern Colleges Group
The Group is a collective of post-16 education providers, sharing the same strategic aims to provide outstanding vocational and academic excellence to over 15,000 students across the region. The shared mission of the Group is to be a catalyst of positive social change and prosperity for the community, leaving no-one behind, with a vision to put students at the heart of everything they do. The 'three pillars' of the shared strategic aims are to support students in making excellent connections with employers, to help students achieve qualifications to the best of their ability and to cultivate character strengths such as resilience and optimism.

University Studies at West Suffolk College

University Studies at West Suffolk College
was a founding member of the University of Suffolk, providing a range of apprenticeships and Undergraduate degree, undergraduate degree courses. However, there was an end to the partnership between the two institutions planned from the academic year 2021–2022. A wide range of Bachelor's degrees are now delivered in partnership with the University of East Anglia as well as a range of Higher National Qualifications.

History

In 1951, the Bury St Edmunds Technical Institute began offering Engineering, Building and vocational evening classes in the grounds of the Silver Jubilee School. In 1958, it decided to construct a new purpose built college on its own ground, at the Gibraltar Barracks site, where the West Suffolk College is today. It was officially opened on 29 May 1961. In the 1970s and 1980s, the college expanded; from 1970 to 1977, the Engineering, Construction and Motor Vehicle training centres were built. In 1983, Australia House, a dedicated beauty, hair and hospitality school was opened. A year later, a purpose built facility for students with learning difficulties and disabilities was built. The expansion continued into the 1990s; with Gibraltar House opening in 1999. In 2006, the college was awarded Grade 1: Outstanding by Ofsted and in 2011, Dr Ann Williams, the then Principal, was appointed an OBE for services to Further Education in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. She was replaced by Dr Nikos Savvas in 2013. In 2014, a new building, The Gateway, now the face of the college, was opened. The following year the college received confirmation of a £7m government grant to help pay for an £8m energy, engineering and manufacturing teaching centre. In September 2015, the college began Animal Care and Management courses at the Newmarket Academy. In 2016, the college was ranked in the top five per cent in the country for its achievement rates in Level 3 Vocational Diplomas, the best in the East Anglia, Eastern Region, and the second best GCSE English resit results in the country. Former Chairs of Governors at the college have gone on to be awarded an Order of the British Empire, MBE, including Elizabeth Milburn and Richard Carter. The current Chair of Governors at the college and Suffolk Academies Trust, Elton D'Souza is a National Leader of Governance. The college offers a range of Apprenticeships and in 2016, it enrolled over 1,000 people onto its apprenticeships, with an achievement rate eight per cent higher than the national average at 78%. Following an inspection under new grading criteria, the college was graded as 'Good' by Ofsted. The college was named in July 2019 as a computing hub for the National Centre for Computing Education. In 2020, the college became the first provider to have an Apprenticeship accredited by Royal Society of Chemistry, The Royal Society of Chemistry In 2021, the college joined the National College for Nuclear (NCfN) as an Accredited Provider. It has also been acknowledged as the first college in the country to facilitate the teaching of black history all year round and has won prestigious industry accolades for outstanding and innovative careers leadership and practice.

Principal and CEO

Dr Nikos Savvas has a doctorate in Particle physics, High Energy Particle Physics from University of Manchester, Manchester University and has held senior roles in the further education sector for a number of years. He is a board member for various organisations including the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership's All Energy Industry Council, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership's Skills Advisory Panel for Norfolk and Suffolk and th
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Trust
(SENDAT). He took up the role of Principal and CEO at West Suffolk College in September 2013.

Alumni

* Nathaniel Warner - Helicopter Pilot * Nick Pope (footballer), Nick Pope - Footballer * Toby Stuart - Hospitality Consultant to Albert Roux * David Starie - Former Professional Boxer * Ben Jordan - Model * Adam King - Composer

References

{{Authority control Further education colleges in Suffolk Bury St Edmunds Educational institutions established in 1951 1951 establishments in England