Weymouth College

Weymouth College is located in Weymouth and offers a range of practical and academic courses for its enrolment of 7,500 students. It is one of the institutions included in the University of Plymouth college network.

Background and history

The college has its origins in 1913 as the Weymouth Secondary School, which in 1927 became known as Weymouth Grammar School. In 1985 the modern Weymouth College was opened, and in 2001 relocated to the new Cranford Avenue campus.

Location and accessibility

The main Cranford Avenue campus is a short journey from the town centre, situated just off the B3155. It is easily reachable by car and bus.

What's on offer?

The college specialises in A-levels and industry-specific vocational courses, from Foundation Level right up to BTECs, Diplomas, HNDs and Apprenticeships. A second campus is located in Dorchester that houses the construction, engineering and stonemasonry facilities. In 2001 the college relocated to its current home, the Cranford Avenue campus, and is equipped with a range of high-quality facilities.

There are 258 courses available to students, covering full- and part-time study, A-levels, Foundation learning and GCSE's. There are also some Higher Education studies on offer.

Subject areas are divided into: Business ICT, Care Studies, Construction Allied Trades, Digital Creative Industries, Engineering Automotive, Foundation Learning, Hair Beauty, Music Performing Arts, Sport Public Services, Tourism Hospitality, and Leisure Courses (with options in a-levels, Apprenticeships GCSE's and HE)

Fees and funding

There is a dedicated Funding and Finance department operating within the college that can deal with financial issues students have. They deal with sponsorships of courses, bursaries for 16-18 year olds, 'Hardship Funds' for over-19s, childcare, 24+ loans and Student Finance England (for HE courses).

The Bay Theatre operates as a venue for touring companies, as well as staging productions performed by the college's own performing arts and music students. It seats up to 250 people.

Cygnets Restaurant is open Tuesday-Friday from noon and is not only a commercial eatery, but offers catering students the chance of workplace study. It is linked to an adjoining conference room for parties and functions.

Garden Shop not only sells a range of horticultural products, it grants students on Entry Programmes the opportunity to gain retail experience and expand on their numeracy and ICT skills.

Hair Beauty is provided at the salon run by students. It operates as a commercial and workplace-learning business and provides a wide range of treatments including: cuts, colours, shampoos, facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, waxing and electrolysis.

The Hive is a multimedia centre opened byKing's Speech producer and ex-student, Gareth Unwin. It offers TV studios, recording booths, green screen facilities, Sony learning cameras, broadcast cameras and 60+ PC media workstations.

Sports Centres at the college are numerous and provide many opportunities for getting into sports and fitness. There is the Redlands Sports Centre that offers fitness classes and squash courts and outside an all weather 3G Astro pitch, adiZone fitness area, outdoor pitches for football and cricket. The Cranford Avenue campus provides a state-of-the-art gym and fitness suite.