Eastern
Daily Press - 24th May 1966
with additional comment from
David Spinks
Contents
The Gallery
Press Coverage
EDP 24 May 1966
WIDE INFLUENCE OF WYMONDHAM
COLLEGE:
FLEXIBLE, FAR-REACHING.
Education should be seen as a whole. In the past few years reports and circulars have tended to concentrate on particular aspects of education, particular age groups and patterns of educational organisation.
The education process however, is continuous. The accommodation which is provided for education should reflect this continuity. And it is in this breadth of influence that Wymondham College still holds a position of high regard, not only in Norfolk but throughout the whole of the country.
WELL SATISFIED
It
was acquired against the advice of the Ministry, be it noted by those who
commend instant obedience to central directives. Its general objective was to
provide a roof over some of the educational needs of the county. In the
event, it enabled Norfolk 15 or so years ago to begin to get rid of the basic
criticism of the “11-plus.” It provided opportunity for continuous
county-wide appraisal of academic potentials.
In this way the 11-plus in Norfolk came to be
seen as a flexible selective procedure. It is, of course, currently fanned
into an explosive and emotive factor in educational debate. It is,
however, difficult to see what good is done by those whose arguments imply that
only the secondary grammar school can offer appropriate education to children
over the age of eleven.
Wymondham College has allowed the secondary modern schools in the county to
begin to develop their own effective education relatively free from the
compulsive pressures of the General Certificate of Education. The
Certificate of Secondary Education internally operated in mode Mode lll gives
promise of a recognition of this, and the likely equating the GCE and CSE
examinations provides a logical evolution which in itself would avoid some of
the social concern about a separatist policy.
Many educationalists still hope that this may be allowed to happen. If so, Wymondham College will have provided an appropriate and acceptable pattern of education for the county free of party political pressure.
The contribution of Wymondham College, however, is not only in the field of secondary schools. Courses, conferences, research activities and the like are carried on at Wymondham College for 50 of the 52 weeks of the year. It has become a veritable power-house of service to education in the county at every level. It has inspired the committee to consider other imaginative projects.
REAL ISSUES
Those concerned with the real issues of
education will share the hope that the local education authority of Norfolk
will-be allowed to continue these enterprising experiments. No vital education
system can long survive a restriction of freedom to develop flexible patterns to
meet the very varied needs of children in a situation which is constantly
subject to change.
Wymondham College is one of the most flexible organisations that Norfolk has
produced and in this lies much of its success.
From David Spinks:
I came across this piece (above) amongst Dave Goman’s cuttings.
It is interesting to read this article in
2006 when State boarding schools are on the Government's agenda as a means of
solving a few of our educational needs; particularly interesting in the light of
the battles during the eighties which the College authorities had with the
Norfolk Education Committee who apparently did not have the manual on how to run
a boarding school and really wanted to leave it to someone else.
It is also interesting in the light of the current boarding fees at some £6K PA,
which are now unsupported by any agency other than parents and any charity
willing to help, noting that the College is obliged to provide "free" day places
for local students.
I wonder if this latest proposal is aired with a view to Wymondham once again
offering boarding places such as those offered me and other grateful students in
1951 and later.
David Spinks
Chairman of the Wymondham College Trust - created to
receive donations/funding for the benefit of College Students.
Index: Stephanie Darbishire