Richard Huish College, Taunton


Richard Huish College is a further education and sixth-form college in Taunton, Somerset, England. Located on a single site in South Road, about a mile from the center of Taunton, it offers A-level courses, apprenticeships and vocational courses.
The college has around 2,000 full-time students aged 16–18 studying A Levels and BTEC courses, and 500 studying for apprenticeships and professional qualifications. A small number of GCSEs are offered for 16-year-old students wanting to progress to the sixth form.

History

The college is named after Richard Huish, a Taunton wool merchant in the 17th century who invested in property in London. He died in 1615 and his will included an endowment to establish almshouses in Taunton and support local people's university education. Increased income from the properties in the nineteenth century allowed this to be expanded to create both boys and girls schools in Taunton. The boy's school opened in 1875 in what are now the town's Municipal Buildings but by 1891 had moved to East Street. The girls' school opened in The Crescent in 1876 but the charity was unable to support both schools so the girl's school was funded by Bishop Fox's endowment from 1890. Since 1979, Richard Huish College has been a sixth form college.

Campus

The college occupies a site of 8 hectares, of which 70% is sports fields, in the south of Taunton. Its buildings, which range in age from 1880 to 2015, take their names from some of the trees that cover the campus. The site is alleged to have previously been an Aboretum.
Over the period 2000–2009, a variety of building projects resulted in the Willow Building, the Hawthorn Building, Linden, and in 2009 Rowan House. In 2003, the Learning Centre at the heart of the campus, which is named after the science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, a former pupil of Huish's Grammar School, was extended and completely refurbished.
In 2006 the sports dome was opened, which at the time was a ground breaking project for an inflatable dome for sports. It is due to be replaced during 2016, by a sports hall, including a viewing area, gym, changing facilities and a classroom. During 2015, a new cafe area and social space was built, including the first floor Redwood Suite. The cafe area includes a Costa Coffee. The Redwood Centre was renovated to house the drama and dance studios.

Curriculum

The college offers a large range of A Level and BTEC subjects. There are more than 45 subjects offered at A Level. As well as traditional school subjects, many other A Level subjects are offered such as archaeology, classical civilisation, dance, economics, environmental studies, geology, government and politics, law, photography, psychology, sociology and statistics.
An increasing range of BTEC courses are offered. They currently include applied science, business, creative media production, graphic design, health and social care/health sciences, information technology, music production, popular music and sport. A small number of GCSEs are offered for those wanting to progress to the sixth form. The College places a strong emphasis on the breadth of its enrichment activities for students.
The college also delivers apprenticeships and traineeships in the areas of accountancy, medical administration, business and administration, call centre operations, customer service, healthcare, IT user and IT professional, team leading and management, health and social care. At Level 4 and above, the college offers FdA and BA degrees in business and sports development and coaching, and professional courses in Accountancy and Institute of Leadership and Management course. There are also short courses in computer skills and bespoke training services.

Exam results

The college's A2-Level exam results are as follows:
Huish Sport runs a sports enrichment programme. Each year, over 500 students participate in Huish Sport across 19 different sports.
Richard Huish College currently offers performance sport programmes for Cricket, Football, Rugby and Basketball. There is also the 'Active Huish' scheme which encourages students to take part in sports they previously would not have considered and also provides a more relaxed atmosphere in which to exercise.