Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, until 2012 called Taunton's College, is a sixth form college in Upper Shirley, Southampton attended by approximately 750 students. It is part of the Lighthouse Learning Trust, along with St Vincent Sixth Form College in Gosport.
Contents
Admissions
It offers a range of T levels and vocational courses, but mostly A Levels.
It is to the west of Southampton Common next to the Bellemoor pub at the junction of Hill Lane and Bellemoor Road. Near to the south is King Edward VI School, Southampton.
History
Foundation
Taunton's School was founded in 1760 by Richard Taunton, former mayor of Southampton. In 1864 it moved to a specially built premises on New Road. In 1875 it was established as an endowed school, to be called Taunton's Trade School. The school became a public secondary school and the name changed once more to Taunton's School.
Grammar school
In 1926, the school moved to a new site on Highfield Road. It was officially opened by Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle (then the Coalition Conservative MP for Hastings) on 26 April 1927. It was administered by the City of Southampton Education Committee. In 1968 it had around 850 boys.
Sixth form college
In 1969, it was reorganised as a sixth form college for boys and renamed to Richard Taunton College. From 1978 girls were admitted.
Hill College
Meanwhile, in 1858, the Southampton College and High School for Girls was founded. In 1936 it moved to a site on Hill Lane. In 1967, it was reorganised as a sixth form college for girls and renamed to Southampton College for Girls. Boys were admitted from September 1978, along with a name change to Hill College, reflecting the location of the college.
Merger
In 1989 the two colleges merged using the name Taunton's College although the Hill Lane site was refurbished and moved into in 1993.
Redevelopment proposal 2007
A 2007 redevelopment proposal for Taunton's College, on Hill Lane in Southampton, which proposed replacement of nearly all the buildings on the site including the main building completed in 1937 as the Southampton Grammar School for Girls was formally cancelled by June 2009.
Funds hoped for the redevelopment of many sixth form and Further Education colleges throughout England were revealed earlier in 2009 to be insufficient for a mooted major national programme of rebuilds, Building Schools for the Future. Taunton's proposal was one of many which could not be funded.
Name Change
On 11 July 2012, Taunton's College changed its name to Richard Taunton Sixth Form College.
Notable former pupils
Taunton's College
Caity Baser, musician
Alex Bellos, writer
Craig David, musician
Gareth Bale, Welsh international footballer
Chris Packham, naturalist and television presenter
Chris Tremlett, cricketer
Manisha Tank, presents World Report on CNN
Theo Walcott, English international footballer