Preston's College
Preston's College is a further education college in the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. The college originally opened as W. R. Tuson College in September 1974 and was renamed Preston College on 1 September 1989.[1] In September 2013, the college changed its name from Preston College to Preston's College.[2]
| Established | 1974 |
|---|---|
Administrative staff | 23 |
| Students | 17,000 |
| Location | , England, United Kingdom |
| Website | www.preston.ac.uk |
  Location in Preston | |
Campus
The college had two main sites until mid-2011; the main campus on St. Vincent's Road in Fulwood and a smaller building located next to Moor Park. The college finished the build of a Btec building in mid-2011 upon the Fulwood campus; the building cost over one million pounds and replaced the Moor Park campus.
A £5m visual and performing arts centre was opened on the Fulwood site in January 2012.[3]
Courses
The college offers vocational subjects and academic courses at a sixth form college level.
Staff
As of 2008, the college chief executive was Willie Mills, a former principal of both the Northumberland College in Ashington and the City College in Manchester. He took up his post at Preston College in early 2007.
Alumni
During the 1980s, British Comedian Lenny Henry re-took his O Levels at the college whilst appearing in a summer comedy show in Blackpool.[4]
References
- "64478 Academic Prospectus 40pp" (PDF). School Leaver Sixth Form Guide 2008–2009. Preston College. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
1974 In September the town’s new tertiary college officially opens. It is called W R Tuson College (after Preston’s Chief Education Officer) and is one of only 12 such colleges in England. W R Tuson College is unique in being the first in the country to offer a true union of academic and vocational courses, [..] 1989 To reflect its growing national profile, W R Tuson College is officially renamed Preston College on 1 September.
- "Apostrophe costs Preston's College £25,000". Lancashire Evening Post. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
- "Preston College opens new £5m performing arts academy". BBC. 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
- "Lenny Henry's Preston memories". This is Lancashire. Newsquest Media Group. 2008-01-27. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
Henry left school without any qualifications but decided to retake his O levels at Preston College - then called WR Tuson College - while appearing in a summer season in Blackpool with Cannon and Ball in the early 1980s. [..] "I thought 'I'm going to do my O levels', which is a bizarre thing for a rock 'n' roll 21-year-old comedian to do."
