About Us
Northampton College's purpose is to provide high quality further education, training and associated services to Northamptonshire people and businesses. The College's mission is to enhance the lives of our students and other customers, maximising their potential through learning.
Ofsted has endorsed the achievement of Northampton College’s highest ever success rates for the period 2011-12, recording a judgement of ‘Good’ for overall effectiveness as an outcome of its latest inspection in February 2013.
Northampton College has become one of the larger general Further Education Colleges in the region, with approximately 7,000 students, a turnover of almost £30 million and over 600 permanent and part-time staff. It offers a broad range of full-time and part-time courses funded by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Education Funding Agency (EFA). In addition, the College provides Higher Education courses funded through The University of Northampton and a range of services for local employers under its Business Centre brand.
The College was successful in securing approval from the Skills Funding Agency to transform the College's two sites in Northampton, at a cost of £85 million. The new buildings now provide a modern, fit for purpose learning environment for the local community that will help maximise participation and achievement and contribute to the necessary skills development in the town and Northamptonshire.
The College's largest site at Booth Lane now benefits from a brand new, state of the art building of 27,000m providing a high quality, modern design fit to educate and skill the County's students in the 21st century.
The College also has a base in the Town Centre of Northampton at Lower Mounts. This facility, extended in 2010, represents a significant investment in Northampton. It is an iconic building which contributes to the ambition of the town to re-develop itself and build on its strengths in the 21st century.
Extending in this way has enabled the College to improve its offer, including state of the art facilities for hairdressing and beauty therapy, an extended library, and enhanced information, advice and guidance services. Teaching and learning at Lower Mounts has been expanded to include business, languages, health care and Access to Higher Education.
In addition, the College has a substantial site in Daventry from which it delivers a range of full time and part time provision. The site has recently been refurbished and re-launched as a dedicated vocational centre which enables post-16 students to continue their education in Daventry.
The College works closely with other FE and HE providers in the County including Moulton College, The University of Northampton and Tresham College as part of an FE Federation. Partnerships have been established with the Rights & Equality Council, the Chamber and other bodies to provide targeted initiatives for local needs.
Northampton College's locally-delivered provision supports more than 4,000 full-time students, most of whom are aged 16-19, in programmes covering most curriculum areas. It has also extended its link provision with schools and Northamptonshire County Council.
The College Principal is Len Closs, who leads a senior team including two Deputy Principals and a Director of Finance responsible for managing the business areas of the College and developing, delivering and managing the curriculum and students. The curriculum is managed within the Directorate of Curriculum and Student Services, through seven Schools (Languages & Foundation Learning, The Arts, Health & Public Services, Business & The Humanities, Technology & Science, Engineering, and Commercial Enterprise).
Engagement with the needs of local employers is managed through the Business Centre, based at Booth Lane. The College contracts with the Skills Funding Agency to provide Apprenticeship training. In addition, the College seeks alternative funding from such sources as the European Social Fund (ESF) to deliver a broader range of learning opportunities.
The College has been re-affirmed as meeting Investors in People standards four times since 1995 and has also achieved the Recruitment and Selection IiP award. There is an active programme of staff and continued professional development, including teacher training validated by The University of Northampton. The College is committed to the support and development of a professionally-qualified and experienced workforce.
