Henley College (Henley-on-Thames)
| Established | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Type | Further education/sixth form college |
| Headteacher | Jayne Davis |
| Location |
Deanfield Avenue Henley-on-Thames Oxon RG9 1UH England Coordinates: 51°32′10″N 0°54′29″W / 51.536°N 0.908°W |
| Local authority | Oxfordshire |
| DfE number | ???/8001 |
| DfE URN | 130789 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Ages | 16+ |
| Former name | King James's College and South Oxfordshire Technical College |
| Website | The Henley College |
The Henley College is a sixth form college in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. It was founded as a tertiary college in 1987 and changed its status to a sixth form college in 2010. It is the only sixth form college in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
History and origins
The college's roots date back to 1604, when the Free Grammar School of King James I was founded at the Chantry House in Henley. The Charity School, which was more vocational than academic, was endowned by Dame Elizabeth Periam in 1609. The two schools were amalgamated in 1778.[1] The two colleges from which The Henley College was formed, King James's College and the South Oxfordshire Technical College, were controlled by Oxfordshire County Council. The merger of the two led in 1987 to a newly incorporated tertiary college responsible to the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) for running its own affairs. In 2010 the college applied for sixth form college status, which was granted.
The college today
The college offers a range of academic and vocational courses including more than 40 A-Levels, the International Baccalaureate and a number of vocational and part-time day and evening courses. It has achieved notable success in the fields of sport, music, drama and the performing arts. Among the sports on offer are rugby union, football, basketball, netball and rowing. College rugby is linked with the London Wasps academy. A recently completed sports hall has been built at a cost of £2 million. Since its foundation the college has more than doubled in size and its catchment area has extended to cover a large part of the Thames Valley. The college achieved national Beacon College status in 2010.
The college consists of two sites, Deanfield and Rotherfield. A third site, Southfield, was demolished in 1998 and the land sold to fund improvements to the rest of the site, notably a new building on the Deanfield site.
Notable college alumni
- David Arch, composer
- Richard Burns, 2001 World Rally Champion
- Mark Burton, television and radio comedy writer
- Adam Davy, actor
- Sally Dexter, actress
- Danny Goffey, drummer of Supergrass, son of Chris Goffey and brother of Nic Goffey
- Anastasia Hille, actress
- Colin Smith, rower
- Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics since 2002 and Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science since 2008 at the University of Oxford, and who presented the BBC's The Story of Maths
- Bert Bushnell, gold medal rower, 1948 Summer Olympics
- Colonel Sir Arthur Davidson
- David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon, Labour MP for Swindon from 1970–83
- Timothy Williamson, Wykeham Professor of Logic since 2000 at the University of Oxford, and President from 2004-5 of the Aristotelian Society, and from 2006-7 of The Mind Association