Education for All

 

Building Schools for the Future (BSF)Pennine Lancashire is at the forefront of the nation’s ambitious school transformation programme Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

 
Burnley and Pendle are showcasing what it’s possible to achieve with a combination of vision and investment.
 
Meanwhile we have outstanding Colleges offering up to degree level and post-graduate courses in association with the region’s universities. See Further, Higher and Life-Long Education. 
 
 

Building Schools For The Future

BSF is viewed as an outstanding opportunity to provide world-class facilities in the heartlands of Pennine Lancashire.
 
Students, teachers and school governors joined with architects and design consultants to share their vision of how a school should be designed to meet 21st century needs.
 
Seven of the schools opened their doors in autumn 2008. They boast fabulous facilities including state of the art dance and recording studios, fitness rooms and for example, at Shuttleworth College, Burnley, a floor to ceiling atrium with theatre style seating which can be almost instantly transformed into a multi-use space as the seating rolls away.
 
But the programme doesn’t just benefit local youngsters. The £31M Burnley campus includes a sixth form, a primary school, a special school, a nursery school and children’s centre, a public library and faith centre plus community café, all–weather sports pitches, fitness centre, climbing wall, sports hall and hydrotherapy pool. All ages can use the facilities with pride.
 
This campus’s extended services are delivered through a social enterprise company set up in October 2008 – another innovation for Pennine Lancashire as it’s one of the first of its kind in the country.
 
As for eco friendliness – we don’t want to boast too much – but our new schools use renewable energy from solar and photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, have large windows to make the most use of natural light and the rainwater  from rooftops is recycled. The schools are powered by biomass boilers fuelled by woodchips from Lancashire’s woodlands.
 

Schools  - From nursery to 18.

Our schools range from tiny village schools like Slaidburn’s historic Brennand’s Endowed Church of England Primary School (endowed in 1717)  serving Slaidburn, Newton and the surrounding Forest of Bowland to bustling town centre junior and high schools. We have two state grammar schools too – Clitheroe Royal Grammar and Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar. In the private sector the choice includes internationally renowned Stonyhurst College, near Clitheroe, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Westholme School in Blackburn.
 
 

Further, Higher and Life-Long Education

Our colleges and campuses are another reason to choose Pennine Lancashire. Our colleges are outstanding. Students of all ages can study for vocational, academic and professional qualifications at five Colleges across Pennine Lancashire. These opportunities help boost the local economy and add to the quality of life in Pennine Lancashire.
 
Accrington and Rossendale College, Blackburn College, Burnley College, Nelson and Colne College and St Mary’s College, Blackburn, offer university courses as well as the full range of  further education courses. A student may start on a basic entry-level course and graduate with an honours degree from the same College.
 
From mechanical engineering to music production, media to law, art and design to information technology, the opportunities and expertise offered are immense.
 
The Colleges also pride themselves on keeping Pennine Lancashire’s workforce up-to-date with industry tailored courses, which meet the needs of modern employers and their workforce.
 
 

A Little More Information

  • At Accrington and Rossendale students are aged from 14 to 80+. The College is in the middle of a £9m redevelopment programme, ensuring it offer students the most up-to-date and innovative facilities. 
  • Blackburn College is the largest College in the region serving more than 20,000 students of all ages. Courses range from basic skills to degree level qualifications. Facilities include a thriving Sixth Form Centre and the East Lancashire Institute of Higher Education.
  • Burnley College’s multi-million pound new campus with magnificent modern facilities will open in 2009. It offers more than 45 university programmes in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire, a Sixth Form Centre and a Skills and Adult Centre.  
  • Nelson & Colne College was awarded Beacon status in 2006 and was judged “outstanding” by Ofsted in 2008.
  • St Mary’s College in Blackburn has a long-standing partnership with Liverpool Hope University and in 2006 joined forces with the University of Central Lancashire to offer a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care.