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Thomas Rotherham College
Address
Moorgate Road Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 2BE England
Coordinates	53°25′11″N 1°21′03″W / 53.41962°N 1.35071°W / 53.41962; -1.35071
Information
Type	16–19 academy
Motto	Latin: Ne Ingrati Videamur (Lest We Should Appear Ungrateful)
Established	1967; 57 years ago (1967)
Founder	Thomas Rotherham
Local authority	Rotherham
Department for Education URN	145230 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Principal	Joel Wirth
Age	16 to 19
Website	https://www.trc.ac.uk/

Thomas Rotherham College is a college for 16- to 19-year-olds, founded in 1967, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.

History

Grammar school

The college has its origins in Rotherham Grammar School (founded 1483), whose buildings it took over. In the 1960s, the grammar school had around 600 boys and was administered by the County Borough of Rotherham Education Committee.

Sixth form college

The Thomas Rotherham College took its name from the fifteenth-century prelate and statesman Thomas Rotherham, the original founder of the grammar school. Thomas Rotherham was archbishop of York from 1480 until his death in 1500. He was at various times an ambassador, and keeper of the Privy Seal. Twice, he was Lord Chancellor of England.

The Thomas Rotherham College took its first intake of students in September 1967. It was formally inaugurated on Friday 15 March 1968 by Thomas Rotherham's successor as Archbishop of York, Donald Coggan. Dr Coggan was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1974.

For the first few years, the grammar school and the new Thomas Rotherham College operated alongside each other in the same buildings, until the last of the grammar school boys reached the sixth form (c. 1971). The last intake of grammar school boys was in September 1966.

By the early 1970s the college had 400 students, and 500 by the mid-1980s.

Incorporation

Along with all other colleges, TRC was incorporated and left local authority control on 1 April 1993. Incorporated status for the college lasted from then until 2017.

Academisation

Thomas Rotherham College converted from being a sixth form college to a 16–19 academy, within the Inspire Trust, on 1 November 2017. A new logo – similar in style to other establishments in the trust, while retaining aspects from the college's (and grammar school's) old logo – was introduced in September 2019. In the initial stages, no new principal was appointed to replace Dr Richard Williams. Dr Stephan Jungnitz, previously of Hartlepool College, was then appointed. By summer 2018 Thomas Rotherham had its first female headteacher, Shirley-Ann Brookes-Mills. She left after six months in the post. Eventually it was decided to continue long-term without a principal.

The college building (1876)

The main building of what is now the Thomas Rotherham College is a Grade II Listed building. It was built as a theological college training ministers for Congregational churches. The site (originally 8.5 acres) had been bought in 1870, for £3,200. But, the building project was delayed owing to the commercial upheaval arising from the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war. The foundation stone was eventually laid on 23 April 1874. The building was executed in "collegiate Gothic" at a cost of £23,000, and it was opened on 20 September 1876.

The building was designed by William Gillbee Habershon and Alfred Robert Pite. Their architectural practice was in London. However, WG Habershon was from the Habershon family of Rotherham. The Habershons were a Congregational family. WG's grandfather and two of his uncles were the founders of the Habershons steel rolling mills (JJ Habershon & Sons). WG's first-cousin Alderman John Matthew Habershon was the first mayor of Rotherham (1871 and 1872). John Matthew's grandson was mayor in 1922. WG's father (also an architect) had designed the Kimberworth Parish Church. WG's younger brother was the architect Matthew Edward Habershon.

The new Rotherham Congregational College was in use for only twelve years. In 1888, it amalgamated with the Congregational College at Bradford and the merged college operated from the Bradford premises. The Rotherham building was no longer needed and it was sold to become the premises of the Rotherham Grammar School. The School moved into the building in around 1890.

Inspections

Like all colleges, Thomas Rotherham College underwent two Further Education Funding Council inspections in the 1990s. Since the inspection of colleges was transferred to Ofsted in 2001, the college has undergone six further inspections:

Principals

• Arthur Prust, September 1967–December 1982 (previously the last headmaster of Rotherham Grammar School)
• James C. Garton, January 1983–????
• Nigel Briggs, ????–December 1997
• Giles Pepler, January 1998–August 2006
• Dr Richard Williams, September 2006–December 2017
• Dr Stephan Jungnitz, January 2018–June 2018 (interim principal)
• Shirley-Ann Brookes-Mills, June 2018–December 2018
• David Naisbitt, December 2018–August 2019
• Joel Wirth, August 2019–Present

Notable alumni

• Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed
• Justine Greening
• James May
• Tracey McDermott
• Mike Riley
• Jamie Vardy
• David Wetherall

See also

• Listed buildings in Rotherham (Boston Castle Ward)

References

1. "College ordered to improve by Ofsted won't appoint new head".
2. "Movers and Shakers: Edition 232". 29 January 2018.
3. ^ "First female head for Thomas Rotherham College".
4. "Thomas Rotherham College principal leaves after just six months".
5. "Thomas Rotherham College "progressing" — but still work to do".
6. ^ Wadsworth, Revd Kenneth W Yorkshire United Independent College - two hundred years of training for the Christian ministry by the Congregational churches of Yorkshire Independent Press, London, 1954
7. Listing description for TR College
8. 1995 Report
9. 1999 Report
10. 2004 Report
11. 2009 Report
12. 2012 Report
13. 2014 Report
14. 2018 Report
15. 2019 Report
16. http://www.thomroth.ac.uk/Lists/My%20News/DispForm.aspx?ID=85
17. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.rgsoba.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
18. "Giles Pepler - Senior Consultant - Sero Consulting | LinkedIn".
19. Upton, Michael (22 January 2018). "New head takes up post at Thomas Rotherham College". Rotherham Advertiser. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
20. Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Debrett's Peerage Limited. 2 March 2019. ISBN 9781870520737 – via Google Books.
21. Perraudin, Frances; reporter, Frances Perraudin North of England (18 August 2016). "A-level changes get thumbs down at Justine Greening's college". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 September 2024.

External links

• Thomas Rotherham College
• photo of the school

• Education in Rotherham
• Sixth form colleges in South Yorkshire
• 1483 establishments in England
• Educational institutions established in the 15th century
• Buildings and structures in Rotherham