# Southampton College

Southampton College, formerly known as Southampton City College, is a general further education college located in Southampton, Hampshire, England. There has been a school of some kind on the site since the 1930s, but the current institution originated with the establishment of a technical college in 1952. Much of the current campus was constructed during a period of redevelopment from 2001 to 2012. In 2023 it merged with Eastleigh and Fareham colleges to form the South Hampshire College Group (SHCG). The "Southampton College" title is today applied to the modern SHCG campus; in a legal sense the original college was closed in 2023.
The college offers various study programmes for young people and adults as part of the SHCG, including professional, technical and creative courses as well as apprenticeships. It specialises in marine, engineering, early years, hospitality, digital and the creative arts. The Warsash Maritime School was also located on site from 2017 to 2024.

## Campuses

* St Mary Street Campus (50°54′12″N 1°23′43″W﻿ / ﻿50.9034°N 1.3954°W﻿ / 50.9034; -1.3954﻿ (Southampton City College, St Mary Street Campus)), located in the district of the same name, near Southampton City Centre.
* Marine Technology Centre, Woolston (50°54′01″N 1°22′55″W﻿ / ﻿50.9004°N 1.3820°W﻿ / 50.9004; -1.3820﻿ (Southampton City College, Marine Technology Centre))

## History

Several of the buildings on the campus pre-date the college. The oldest is Bencraft House, a Georgian house built in around 1800. It is named after Russell Bencraft, who was born in the house when his father was the medical officer for the workhouse. The Victorian frontage dates back to the old St. Mary workhouse (1866); earlier almshouses existed on the site as far back as the 17th century.

### Origins (1930-2000)

The Deanery building was built as a school in the 1930s, and remained part of the campus area until it was demolished in the 2000s. Under the leadership of Frank West, the junior school saw substantial growth. In 1948 the Education Authority took over the old St Mary Institution to provide a more permanent home for the Technical School. Following substantial building works and consolidation of a number of local school sites, it was opened as the Technical College in June 1952. In 1960 work began on the construction of Southampton College of Technology and the Technical College became part of this organisation. In 1969, it became a separate entity and as such adopted the name Southampton Technical College. On 2 April 1995, it changed its name again to Southampton City College.
In 1999, the college received £80,000 in funding for a new theatre on campus. The new venue was used by the performing arts programme. Changes to the UCAS rules in 2000 allowed City College to gain membership, along with other local colleges. While the college did not offer degrees; it did offer at least one HND or HNC, which meant that it was eligible for membership. This meant that City College was thereafter eligible to compete with other colleges and universities nationally for prospective students.

### Industrial disputes and redevelopment (2001-2012)

The college faced financial difficulties in the early 2000s, caused by poor student retention. The college warned staff in May 2001 that job cuts may have been necessary. Industrial action took place that September. The financial situation was improving by early 2002, but City College decided not to enact a pay rise that was recommended by the Association of Colleges. It was the only college in the south of England not to adopt the pay rise. Strikes continued intermittently throughout the year, with a change to the tutoring system in December 2002 causing further action. A pay agreement was eventually reached, but failure by the college to implement the second stage of the agreement resulted in further strikes in 2004, conducted during an Ofsted inspection. Further strikes were held over pay in 2005 and again in 2008.
A new building dedicated to trade union training opened in 2001. Beginning in 2002, the campus then underwent extensive redevelopment as part of a 30 million pound programme. The first stage was completed in September 2004, which included the completion of a new reception and information & advice centre, new teaching block with learning centres for IT, Art & Design, Health & Social Care and Childcare. The second phase was completed in the summer of 2005 and involved the development of a new technology building which included facilities for motor vehicle, brickwork and construction trades. A portion of the campus, including the 1930s Deanery building was sold to make way for housing as part of an urban redevelopment programme for the area.
In September 2009 an outdated block was redeveloped to provide learning facilities for 3D creative design, engineering, professional construction and electrical installation. This block also housed learning centres and a lecture theatre. In September 2010, City College opened two new blocks, forming the completion phase of the campus redevelopment project. 'The hub' included a new theatre, TV and radio studios, a business training suite, a learning centre, a theatre bar and a fitness suite. The adjoining Aspire building housed new facilities for catering, hair and beauty, together with seminar rooms and learning centres. These work-based training facilities were open to the public as the "Aspire" restaurant and "Kudos" Hair and Beauty Salons.
In 2012 City College Southampton was shortlisted for a Times Educational Supplement (TES) FE award in elearning for the work done in Citybit, the VLE.

### Financial troubles and merger (2012-2023)

City College was left in serious financial trouble after the redevelopment concluded, with 6 million pounds of debt from a loan taken in 2009. The previous principal Lindsey Noble resigned in 2013, replaced by Sarah Stannard. The college leased the Austen building to the Warsash Maritime School; the move required the removal of the college's library and photography studios. Warsash did not remain on the site for the full ten year lease, instead relocating again to Solent University's East Park Terrace in 2024.
In an attempt to manage the financial problem, City College then explored mergers with a number of other education providers in the area. Without a merger, the college was at risk of insolvency. The FE commissioner's 2016 review recommended a merger with Solent University, but this was rejected by the Department for Education in 2018 over concern for "value for money". The college rapidly made a new proposal for a merger with Eastleigh College in June 2018 but funding was pulled by the government days before it was due to be completed, and Eastleigh withdrew. The failure of these merger attempts left the college in a dire financial situation, and it was relient on bailout funding from this point onwards.
A third attempt at a merger was made with Itchen Sixth Form in September 2020, but this too was rejected on grounds of financial viability. The FE commissioner added that "more must be done to minimise the financial losses". In 2022 an investigation from the Further Education commissioner indicated that without intervention the college would collapse; the report led to the resignation of the principal Sarah Stannard.
The college ultimately received 8 million pounds of emergency funding, and merged with Eastleigh and Fareham colleges to form the South Hampshire College Group (SHCG) in 2023. The merger process was conducted under time pressure as the college was expected to collapse within the year without it.

### As part of the South Hampshire College Group (2023- present)

Following the merger, Southampton City College was renamed to Southampton College, and the old southampton-city website now simply redirects to the SHCG site. The campus was the main beneficiary of a 12 million pound investment project in 2024, which will see the development of new facilities and improvements to motor and maritime resources.

## Notable alumni

* Norsiah Abdul Gapar, Bruneian writer
* Paul Ainsworth, English chef, restaurant and hotel owner
* Craig David, English singer and musician
* Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Malaysian politician