Page 15 - HB- Further Education

Further Education in Redditch Redditch Heritage

North East Worcestershire College

In 1985 the Audit Commission reminded LEAs that the 1966 Pilkington Report guidelines
on efficiency and class size should be adhered to. The County’s Further Education
Sub-Committee agreed that there should be consideration of ways of achieving greater
rationalisation of courses between Redditch College and North Worcestershire College in
Bromsgrove. In 1987 the County Education Officer concluded that a merger could be
beneficial both educationally and in terms of the cost effective provision of FE in the area.
The plan was passed by County Councillors on 15 May 1987, as they thought this would
ease overcrowding at Redditch College. The separate colleges at Redditch and Bromsgrove
merged on 1st September 1988 to form North East Worcestershire College (NEW College).
Before the new college was opened, its Principal told a regional newspaper that the merger
had provided economies of scale which would strengthen weaker courses and develop
more options within stronger courses.

Some courses became available on one campus only so that facilities and resources could
be concentrated on one site. Students could travel between campuses on the college bus
without charge. All Engineering courses were transferred to Bromsgrove, and all Art
courses were transferred to Redditch. The new college was officially opened by Her
Royal Highness the Princess Royal on 24th November 1989. The Princess met and talked
to many students and staff, and was shown the work of NEW College. From 1st April
1993 LEAs no longer had responsibility for FE, so NEW College became an independent,
self-governing body. To mark the occasion, there was a formal ceremony at the College
when the Chairman of Worcestershire County Council handed over the college deeds to
the NEW College Principal, and a tree was planted on the Bromsgrove Campus.

In the early hours of 18th May 1999 more than 100 fire fighters from three counties rushed
to the Redditch Campus to control the fire that started about midnight in the Art and
Design Block.(Originally the Engineering Workshops adjoining the tower block.) The fire
fighters worked for over six hours to subdue the flames and all the Art and Design rooms
were destroyed. Police confirmed that the fire had been started deliberately. Art students
had been completing their studies and much of their work had been lost, so various
examination boards were contacted to see what special considerations could be made.
The college had also lost a lot of equipment including photography, screen- printing and
art resources, but fortunately local businesses donated vital equipment to help students
finish their portfolios. The unharmed buildings on the campus were opened the following
week.

The Technical School building, Z block, celebrated its centenary on 1st November 1999.
It was in 1899 that the foundation stone had been laid and a time capsule buried
underneath it. Mr. Jack Robinson, who had taught at the Technical School and Redditch
College, becoming Head of the Engineering Department, cut the centenary cake. The
time capsule from 1899 was discovered in 2005 during the demolition of Z block to make
way for a sports hall. Its contents included copies of the Redditch Indicator and the
Birmingham Daily Post and Gazette, photographs of Evesham Street, and the annual
report of Smallwood Hospital. Lord Windsor, who laid the foundation stone in 1899, said
that he hoped the time capsule would not be exposed until ‘the great scheme of technical
education had borne ample fruit, and until the large building about to be erected would
require to be removed in order to make room for one still larger and better’.

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