Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College

Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College
Motto Labore et Honore
Established 1976
Type Sixth Form College
Principal Sandra Hamilton-Fox
Location University Road
Leicester
LE1 7RJ
UK United Kingdom
Coordinates: 52°37′08″N 1°07′27″W / 52.61883°N 1.12405°W / 52.61883; -1.12405
Local authority Leicester
DfE number 856/8601
DfE URN 130756 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students c.2000
Ages 16–19
Former name Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys
Website www.wqeic.ac.uk

First established as a grammar school for boys in 1877, Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College (WQEIC) is now a sixth form college located in Leicester, England. As a sixth form college it is now headed by Sandra Hamilton Fox who was appointed the seventh principal in August 2012.

There are approximately 2,000 full-time 16–18-year-old students and 140 teaching staff. More than 40 subjects are offered at A Level. Mathematics and Sciences account for more than a third of enrolments.

The college was awarded Learning and Skills Beacon Status in April 2003.

Early history

Foundation

After William Wyggeston's death in 1536, his brother Thomas Wyggeston, as a trustee, used part of the money to establish a grammar school in Leicester.

Grammar schools

Whilst this school, known as the Elizabethan Grammar School eventually became defunct in the 19th century, it was re-founded on the site of the old Wyggeston Hospital as the Wyggeston Hospital School which took its first pupils on 30 April 1877.[1] This gave its name to the later Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys which, after the reorganisation of local government led to the system of education in the City of Leicester becoming comprehensive, became Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.

Wyggeston Grammar School for Girls, also known as Wyggeston Girls' Grammar School, was founded not long after the boys' school. In 1976 the site became Wyggeston Collegiate Sixth Form College, known as Regent College since 1996.

Sixth form college

The college, which has over 2200 students, was founded in 1978 following a (comprehensive) re-organisation of secondary education in the city. Many parts of rural Leicestershire went comprehensive in 1968.

It now occupies a site adjoining Victoria Park and the University of Leicester that was previously occupied by Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys (also known as Wyggeston Boys' School).

Headmasters

The Rev. James Went
1878 – 1920

Thomas Kingdom
1920 – 1947

J C Larkin
1947 – 1969

Dr G A Thompson
1969 – 1994

Dr Robert Wilkinson
1994 – 2002[2]

Ian Wilson
2002–2012

Sandra Hamilton-Fox
2012–Present

Curriculum

Courses including AS, A2 and GCSEs are all provided at the College. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma was introduced in September 2006 with 33 students opting for this alternative. The last cohort of the IB completed the course in 2012, and the programme is no longer offered.

The College works increasingly closely with local schools and colleges and this partnership working will develop further in pursuit of the curriculum agenda for the 14 to 19 age group.

Strengths

An enrichment programme offers more than seventy courses and activities including many science-based options such as Medical Laboratory Science and Space Physics, reflecting the college's strengths in science. The inclusion of languages in the enrichment programme has also improved the overall take-up of languages. The college has a long-established tradition of sporting prowess and two thirds of students participate in sport.

Academic performance

In 2006 the A Level pass rate was 98 per cent with 45 per cent at grades A and B. About 90% of students progress to higher education, mostly in the Midlands region.

Beacon activity

WQEIC has worked with other providers on the development of effective quality assurance systems and self-assessment processes with a particular focus on the use of value-added measures. A significant amount of work was also done in the field of Student Support and Guidance and Student Services.

As an innovation project the college has led the development of a common Virtual Learning Environment across post-16 providers in the Leicester area.

The college has also forged links at departmental level with counterparts in local schools and colleges. The focus was on sharing good practice, progression issues and collaborative working in the interests of improving quality.

The IB

The college started offering the IB Diploma Programme in 2006, which has now ended in the academic year 2011.

Notable former students

Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys

Two former masters at the Boys' Grammar School went on to eminence:

Two former masters at the Boys' Grammar School went on to eminence:

References

External links

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