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Proposal for the use of the Rolle College Campus after August 2008.

^{_{A Post-16 Centre for Exmouth}}

Exmouth Community College has a thriving Post-16 centre for young people, studying a wide range of subjects at various levels.  However, the potential availability of the Rolle College buildings, combined with changes to 14-19 qualifications have led us to consider the benefits of moving the Centre to the Rolle site.  As described in more detail below, these fall into several categories:

·        good quality accommodation for a large number of young people from 14-19

·        opportunities to work collaboratively with other organisations to provide a range of educational qualifications

·        opportunities for the development of training and education for adults

·        the provision of services to the wider community of Exmouth and East Devon.

The college currently has about 350 post-16 students, and generates over 99% of its maximum funding (£1.8m).  Since the Rolle buildings could accommodate up to 1000 students, it would be appropriate to aim to recruit additional students, accompanied by the relevant funding.  This extra capacity would also enable Devon County Council to cater for the needs of the additional young people expected to stay in training and education until they are 18 as part of the Government agenda for the future.

With the impact of the new Specialised Diplomas for young people[1], there is a need for schools and colleges to set up partnerships with other institutions in order to provide the wide range of resources required to teach the new courses.  If the Community College were to collaborate with Exeter College or others with Devon County Council by sharing facilities and staffing at the Rolle site, the young people of Exmouth and the surrounding area, including Exeter, would have access to the very best curricula and qualifications.

Clearly, funding issues would have to be explored, to ensure that a Post-16 Centre would be supported fully by the relevant funding bodies and a marketing strategy would have to be devised to ensure that all potential students in the area were aware of the provision on offer. The Private sector may be interested in partnership as it will be training young people for work related skills.

Wider community uses

Any successful bid for the use of the Rolle College site should involve the college working with the local community.  The strength of our bid is that we intend that Rolle College should be, ‘At the heart of the local community, owned by the local community serving the needs of the local community’.

In the light of the recent focus on adult skills development and training, as stressed by Gordon Brown: ‘… we need a major drive to upskill our workforce, investing in training to boost the employability of millions of adults, help employers harness the skills they need to build successful British businesses, and create a more prosperous society’ we would propose that adult learning could also take place on the Rolle Campus.

For example, the community needs to provide training for those who will be required to care for elderly people in the future – within their own homes and specialist care homes.  The demographics of Devon highlight this need especially in East Devon with a high number of over 60’s within its current population.

A number of other uses for part of the site could be agreed with other groups in the community, such as developing a centre of excellence in sports, sailing and related employment; alternative education and training for disaffected youth, linked to the police and town council; links with initial teacher training and professional development for teachers, in conjunction with the University of Plymouth.

There is potential for The Beacon School (Voluntary Aided C of E) to be relocated to the site as it is within Littleham Parish.

In addition to the more direct educational uses of the site, a broader range of community uses could also be established.  Some examples are given below.

·         All or part of the Town library could be relocated to Rolle, in collaboration with Devon County Council, East Devon District Council and Exmouth Town Council.

·         Link partnerships with community groups could be established for use of the campus and its facilities e.g. theatre groups.

·         Community education facilities and courses could be transferred to the campus.

·         Social Services could commission ‘Meals on Wheels’ for the area with access to the catering facilities.

·         If there were still a need for further dental/medical practices in the area, these could operate from the campus.

The college would welcome the opportunity to work with community partners to develop a facility which would benefit the population of Exmouth and its environs.  In order to ensure a secure financial base for moving forward, we would need to establish a firm Trust arrangement with those partners and discuss detailed plans with all interested parties.

Notes:

Exmouth Community College loses a number of potential students due to certain courses only being available at Exeter College or East Devon College, and the acquisition of Rolle would enable these to be provided locally.

Partnership opportunities could be available with other partners – e.g. Bicton College.

The New Town of Cranbrook and the Regional Spatial Strategy requiring an increase in the population within travelling distance of Exmouth, gives the potential in the future to sustain post 16 and adult training.

The announcement by Yvette Cooper MP Minister for Housing and the result of the Housing market Assessment for Exeter, Torbay, Mid and East Devon substantially increases the amount of housing within the area.

Exmouth Community College and its 14 Primary Schools make up a Learning Community providing education for a population of 47126.

Devon County Council ‘Vision’ includes:

Skills and Innovation – productivity/adult skills levels/salaries.

All secondary schools(7) within East Devon are full and temporary classrooms are needed for at least the next 3 years. (Letter enclosed)

The attached statistics show the current age profile of East Devon residents.

Barbara Mason and Jill Elson,

on behalf of Exmouth Community College Governors

July 2007