Darlington College
Darlington College is a further education college in Darlington, County Durham, England. The college campus is located at Central Park, Haughton Road. With support from Darlington Borough Council and Tees Valley Regeneration the college building was constructed by Shepherd Construction, starting in 2004.[1] Founded in 1897, it assumed its present form in September 2006 and was officially opened by the then-Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on 22 December 2006.[2]
| Darlington College | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
Central Park Haughton Road Darlington , County Durham , DL1 1DR England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Further education college |
| Department for Education URN | 130656 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Principal | Kate Roe |
| Age | 14+ |
| Telephone | 01325 503050 |
| Fax | 01325 503000 |
| Website | http://www.darlington.ac.uk |
Teaching
The college offers a wide range of vocational courses from Hair and Beauty to Construction Services. The University Centre unites the further and higher education of Darlington College with that of Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College and the University of Teesside.[3]
College facilities
Darlington College offers a learning and training environment which includes: a university centre; 'business first' - bespoke training for employers; a well equipped computing and networking suite; sports facilities; media design centre; restaurant and food court; hair and Beauty salons. The restaurant and hair and beauty salons are open to the public.
History as Technical College
The college was originally named "Darlington Technical College", which was constructed in 1897 designed by George Gordon Hoskins.[4] It opened in October 1897.[5] It was built by the Borough of Darlington next to North Lodge Park "to help continue the efficiency of manufacturing and commerce".
By the 1950s the college used 28 buildings around Darlington and in 1955 took over the Girls High School building in Cleveland Avenue. New blocks were opened in 1957, and between 1963 and 1972 further development concentrated education on a single site. Darlington College of Education was also part of the institution's offerings, but closed in 1978. However, later associations with institutions of higher learning now provide for teacher training.
Darlington College of Technology re-branded in 2006 when it moved to its new site situated on Haughton Road. It became known as Darlington College, the name it still uses today.
Famous people
Famous people who attended Darlington College include:
- Carol Malia, BBC Look North presenter[6]
- Pauline Murray, lead singer of the band Penetration
- Christopher Mark Pattinson Great Britain and England International Swimmer
- John Sergeant, journalist and former Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC
References
- Richwald, Olivia (16 August 2005). "Fast forward into the future as college building takes shape". Durham County Publications.
This time next year, the new £34.5m Darlington College will be unveiled as the first landmark building on the Central Park development site at the heart of the town. ... The 75-acre site is being developed by Tees Valley Regeneration, in conjunction with Darlington Borough Council and Shepherd Construction...
- "Blair at college opening ceremony". BBC News. 21 December 2006.
- Why Choose Darlington College?, retrieved 29 October 2015
- "Darlington, Northgate, Technical College". Durham County Council. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- Lucas, Michael (1967). The growth of technical education in Darlington 1825-1915 (PDF) (M.Ed. thesis). Durham University. Retrieved 25 September 2014. page 215
- Richardson, Lucy (3 May 2017). "Carol Malia on 20 years at Look North | Express North magazine". Express North. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.