West Suffolk College

Main campus and local colleges

The main campus is situated on Out Risbygate in Bury St Edmunds, while the Building Services and Construction facilities are at The Milburn Centre on Anglian Lane, a short walk from the main campus.

In addition to the two sites in Bury St Edmunds, the college engages with the wider community through a number of local colleges, providing Access to Higher Education and Leisure Learning courses throughout Suffolk. These are located in: Haverhill, Ipswich, Mildenhall, Stowmarket, Newmarket, Thetford and Sudbury. In 2015/16, there were 2,915 students enrolled on adult education courses across the county.

Each summer, the college has an awards ceremony at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, with more than 65 awards for various subjects and achievements.

University of Suffolk at West Suffolk College

In 2015/16, 649 students studied foundation and undergraduate degrees at the University of Suffolk at West Suffolk College. Graduation ceremonies are held every September/October at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. The University of Suffolk at West Suffolk College is renowned for its state-of-the-art recording studios and music production courses, with students continuing to exclusively record live concerts by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).

History

In 1951, the Bury St Edmunds Technical Institute opened its new site in the grounds of the Silver Jubilee School offering Engineering, Building and vocational evening classes. In 1958, the decision to build a new purpose built college on its own ground is taken and the Gibraltar Barracks site, where the West Suffolk College is today, is chosen. It was officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk on 29 May 1961.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the college expanded rapidly and 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 to accommodate students with learning difficulties and disabilities was built. The expansion continued into the 1990s and in 1999, HRH The Duke of Gloucester opened Gibraltar House.

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 its first 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 Eastern Region, and the second best GCSE English resit results in the country.

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.

Principal

Dr Nikos Savvas has a doctorate in High Energy Particle Physics from Manchester University and has held senior roles in the further education sector for a number of years. He is a Board member for University of Suffolk, ACER (Association of Colleges in the Eastern Region) and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership for Norfolk and Suffolk. He took up the role of Principal at West Suffolk College in September 2013.

Suffolk Academies Trust

The college is a sponsor of the Suffolk Academies Trust, a collaboration with One, which has been given permission by the Department for Education to build a new sixth form in Bury St Edmunds. The sixth form will aim to cater for up to 1,700 pupils.

Alumni