Buxton & Leek College: Difference between revisions

| established = May 2013 (current form). 1868 as Leek School of Art

| head_label = ChairmanChair of the University Governing Council

| head = ChrisGurpreet HughesDehal

'''Buxton & Leek College''' is a Collegecollege of [[Further Education|Further]] and [[Higher Education|Higher]] Education operating at their campuses and facilities in [[Buxton]], [[Derbyshire]], [[Leek, Staffordshire|Leek]], [[Staffordshire]] and [[Derby, Derbyshire]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/about-blc/our-facilities/|title=Fantastic Facilities {{!}} Info for Students {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The Collegecollege is part of the [[University of Derby]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.derby.ac.uk/about/organisation/|title=Our organisation - University of Derby|last=username|website=www.derby.ac.uk|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

Buxton & Leek College was formed in 2013 by the University of Derby bringing together all of their Further Education operations into one branded entity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/business/new-chapter-at-colleges-1-5725368|title=New chapter at colleges|website=www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref> Prior to this, the Universityuniversity ran Further Education under the name 'Buxton College’, with operations at the Buxton Campus and University of Derby's Kedleston Road site. After Leek College was merged into the Universityuniversity in 2012<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/leek-and-buxton-merger-becomes-official-1-4793325|title=Leek and Buxton merger becomes official|website=www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref> both the 'Buxton College’ and 'Leek College’ names were dropped and replaced with the new name 'Buxton & Leek College’.

Buxton College was originally named ''High Peak College'', which was an independent FE College up until 1998, when it was dissolved as an independent entity and merged into the University of Derby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1653/contents/made|title=The High Peak College, Buxton (Dissolution) Order 1998|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref> ''High Peak College'' originally opened in 1955 in buildings in Buxton town centre, before moving out of the town centre to Harpur Hill in 1964 into what had been RAF buildings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=httphttps://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-404000-369000/page/10|title=HIGH PEAK COLLEGE|website=domesday|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318044234/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-404000-369000/page/10|archive-date=2012-03-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the mid -2000s the Collegecollege was relocated to the refurbished [[Devonshire Dome]] in Buxton town centre, and was officially opened by [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://explorebuxton.co.uk/university-of-derby-buxton-campus-celebrates-10-year-anniversary/|title=University of Derby Buxton Campus Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary {{!}} Explore Buxton|website=explorebuxton.co.uk|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref> At this point it was renamed 'Buxton College’.

Leek College can trace its history back to 1868 when the ''Leek School of Art'' was founded in the town.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.emfec.co.uk/2016/12/09/new-degree-course-offer-leek-school-art/|title=New Degree Course on Offer at Leek School of Art - emfec|date=2016-12-09|work=emfec|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/staffs/vol7/pp84-169#h3-0121|title=Leek: Leek and Lowe {{!}} British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref> ''Leek College of Further Education'' was formed in 1981 from the merger of the ''Leek School of Arts and Crafts'' and the ''Nicholson Institute of Science and Technology''.<ref name=":6" /> The Collegecollege was dissolved as an independent entity in 2012 when it was merged into the University of Derby.<ref name=":5" />

Even before the mergers with High Peak College and Leek College, the University of Derby had a long history of providing further and adult education, having been founded as a teacher training College in 1851<ref>{{cite web|title=University of Derby|url=https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/derby/|website=The Complete University Guide|accessdateaccess-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> and merging with various different colleges throughout the twentieth century, before achieving University status in 1992.

The Buxton Campus of the Collegecollege is situated within the [[Devonshire Dome]], with outdoor sports facilities at Northwood House in Buxton (now closed),<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/about-blc/our-facilities/buxton-campus/|title=Buxton Campus {{!}} Our Facilities {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref> sports and gym facilities at the former High Peak College site in Harpur Hill (now closed) <ref name=":0" /> and a "specialist training centre for Motor Vehicle Engineering, Logistics, Warehousing & Storage, Construction Crafts, Painting & Decorating and Welding" at Harpur Hill Industrial Estate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/about-blc/our-facilities/harpur-hill/|title=Harpur Hill {{!}} Our Facilities {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref>

The Leek Campus of the Collegecollege is situated on Stockwell Street in Leek town centre at the site of what was Leek College. Since the merger with University of Derby the site was extensively re-developed between 2013 and 2015. Older buildings were demolished to make way for new purpose built buildings for art and design, engineering, and construction courses.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/portal/servlets/AttachmentShowServlet?ImageName=53985|title=Campus redevelopment of Buxton & Leek College: Design and access statement|last=Hunt Architects|first=|publisher=|year=|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.huntarchitects.co.uk/portfolio/campus-redevelopment/|title=Campus Redevelopment - Hunt Architects|work=Hunt Architects|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref> The £7million cost of the development was funded by the [[Skills Funding Agency]] and [[University of Derby]].<ref name=":1" />

In the city of Derby, Buxton & Leek College runs a variety of Access to HE and Foundation programme pathways at the University of Derby’sDerby's Kedleston Road site (Access to HE is also run at the Buxton and Leek Campuses)<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/subject-areas/access/access-higher-education/|title=Access to Higher Education Courses {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref>

The Collegecollege offers academic and vocational courses, including [[Apprenticeshipapprenticeship]]s, [[NVQ]]s, [[Business and Technology Education Council|BTECs]], [[GCSEs]], [[Access to Higher Education|Access to HE]] and [[Higher National Certificate|HNC]]/[[Higher National Diploma|HNDs]], as well as a range of short/leisure courses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/course-types-levels/|title=Course Types & Levels {{!}} Info for Students {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref>

A limited number of Undergraduateundergraduate degree programmes are run by the Collegecollege. These courses are validated by University of Derby<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/university-level/university-level-courses/|title=Get a University Level qualification {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref> and are run at the Buxton and Leek Campuses.

Students can progress onto higher education through the University of Derby or any other Universityuniversity. A [[bursary]] of £1000 is available to any Buxton & Leek College student progressing to a degree at the University of Derby.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/about-blc/part-university-derby/|title=Part of the University of Derby {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Management and Governancegovernance ==

The Collegecollege management structure currently includes a Seniorsenior Managementmanagement team at the top, with Curriculumcurriculum Leadersleaders below overseeing operation of courses and subject areas.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.blc.ac.uk/about-blc/meet-our-managers/|title=Meet the Team {{!}} Managers {{!}} Buxton & Leek College|work=Buxton & Leek College|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-GB}}</ref> The Collegecollege is led by the director of FE & Skills, Heather Marks from 1st July 2024 following the retirement of the Principal Len Tildsley on 28th March 2024.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/lentildsley|title=Len Tildsley (@lentildsley) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref>

The Collegecollege is Governedgoverned by a sub-Committeecommittee of the University of Derby’sDerby's Governinggoverning Councilcouncil<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.derby.ac.uk/about/organisation/governance/governors/|title=Governors - University of Derby|last=username|website=www.derby.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref>

The [[Association of Colleges|Association of Colleges (AoC)]] briefs that the running of Buxton & Leek College by the University of Derby has proved 'sustainable’, in an age when other mergers of Further Education Colleges into Universities have failed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.aoc.co.uk/sites/default/files/Merger%20Tips%20Document%20November%202015_0.pdf|title=Briefing Draft - Merger Tips|last=|first=|publisher=Association of Colleges (AoC)|year=2015|isbn=|location=|page=8|pages=}}</ref>

{{coordCoord|53.1076|-2.0225|type:edu_region:GB|display=title}}