Itchen College

Itchen Sixth Form College

Itchen College as seen from Middle Road.
Established	1906
Type	Sixth Form College
Principal	Vanessa Cass
Location	Middle Road Southampton Hampshire SO19 7TB England
Local authority	Southampton
DfE URN	130704 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1450
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	16–18
Publication	ICoN Magazine
Website	www.itchen.ac.uk

Coordinates: 50°54′31.18″N 1°21′27.77″W / 50.9086611°N 1.3577139°W / 50.9086611; -1.3577139

Itchen Sixth Form College, often known simply as Itchen College, is an educational facility on the eastern side of Southampton, which has been operating for over a century. Originally a co-educational secondary school, it later became Itchen Grammar School under the reforms of the Butler Education Act. Following further reform in the 1980s, it is now a community sixth form college for students aged 16–18, with approximately 1450 students.

Itchen College opened on 6 October 1906 as a Pupil Teacher’s Centre in Raymond Lodge, Bridge Road, Woolston. It later moved to the first floor of Porchester Road Elementary School (which later became Woolston Secondary School for Boys), Woolston, in 1916.

Pupils started at the centre at age 13 and took the Cambridge Junior Local Examination after completing a two-year course. If they passed the exam, they could go on to become pupil teachers before moving on to teacher training college.

The first permanent Principal of the centre was Edith North, who held the position until 1916. She was succeeded by Miss G.V. Cook, who remained Headmistress until 1918, when she was promoted to a larger school in East London. A temporary Headmistress, Mrs Macrae-Gibson, took over until it was decided that a Headmaster should be appointed. The person appointed was Mr F.J. Hemmings, in 1919.

In 1908, the local Board of Education called for improved secondary education facilities. A report titled 'Woolston New Secondary School' was drafted up by the Director of Education, recommending a school to accommodate 170 children.