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Grantham College is a further education and Sixth Form college in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England.
On Tuesday 14 August 1923 the site was auctioned, when it was bought by the Longmore family. Grantham Journal Saturday 11 August 1923, page 5 At this time Arthur Longmore was an Air Commodore. Lincolnshire Echo Friday 16 July 1926, page 2 In December 1929 Arthur Longmore became Commandant of Royal Air Force College Cranwell until 1933, Grantham Journal Saturday 30 November 1929, page 9 and by 1934 he was an Air Vice-Marshal, and an Air Marshal by 1935. Spalding Guardian Saturday 27 January 1934, page 9 His daughter Janet married at St Peter's Church, Eaton Square on Wednesday 12 June 1935; in 1948 Janet's husband became High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, and her son Anthony Worth in 1990. Spalding Guardian Saturday 15 June 1935, page 12 On Tuesday 9 July 1935 Arthur was knighted at Buckingham Palace, having received the honour in the 1935 Birthday Honours. Grantham Journal Saturday 13 July 1935, page 14 Later in 1935 Air Commodore Charles Breese, and his wife, resided at the property, when head of No. 23 Group RAF in Grantham. Grantham Journal Saturday 12 October 1935, page 14 In November 1939 Arthur was promoted to Air Chief Marshal. Arthur often went foxhunting with the nearby Belvoir Hunt. Grantham Journal Friday 24 November 1939, page 6 From July 1940, Lady Longmore was district commissioner of the Girl Guides; many district Girl Guide events took place at the property, notably throughout the war; Grantham Journal Friday 12 July 1940, page 7 on Friday 2 June 1944, the Chief Guide Olave Baden-Powell attended one of these Guiding events. Grantham Journal Friday 9 June 1944, page 1 His son William was married by John Jagoe, RAF Chaplain-in-Chief from 1944 to 1949, in April 1941 at St Mark's, Mayfair. Grantham Journal Friday 2 May 1941, page 1 In March 1942 Arthur stood as the Conservative candidate in the 1942 Grantham by-election. Sqn Ldr George Worth MBE (husband of Janet) stood as the Conservative candidate in the 1945 Grantham election.
The first part of the new college, the engineering workshops, was opened on Friday 14 September 1951 by Lt-Gen Sir Ronald Weeks (one of his grandsons is the Dorset Conservative MP Richard Drax). Also at the opening was Sir Robert Pattinson, the Chairman of Kesteven County Council, and the Chairman of the Governors, Mr Fitzherbert Wright, from Belton; Mr Wright was the former Works Director (until 1949) of Aveling-Barford, and one of daughters, Susan Barrantes, would be the mother of Sarah, Duchess of York. The college was mostly intended to train craft apprentices for the local building industry. Fitzherbert Wright was also the chairman of Kesteven Education Committee. Grantham Journal Friday 21 September 1951, page 3
Main building began in November 1952, and it became Grantham College for Further Education. Grantham Journal Friday 28 September 1945, page 4 The building was officially opened on Tuesday 8 September 1959 by the conservationist Sir Peter Scott. Building had cost £252,031 and equipment had cost £52,377. Grantham Journal Friday 11 September 1959, page 5
On Wednesday 1 November 1967 the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, Frederick Dainton, Baron Dainton, gave out the prizes. Grantham Journal Friday 3 November 1967, page 12
When run by Kesteven Council, many evening events would take place at the college, in the 1960s; Sleaford did not have such a college. But once Lincolnshire County Council took over, in 1974, the college became much more peripheral, and any event that was operated under the leadership of the county council would take place in Lincoln instead.
The Kesteven Drama Festival had the final at the college in April 1961.
Qualifications in book-keeping were provided by the East Midland Educational Union. Much construction training was through day release. Construction courses led to the National Certificate of Building Construction. Language courses were set by the Institute of Linguists. Carpentry exams were set by the British Institute of Certified Carpenters. Construction exams were set by the National Joint Council for the Building Industry
In 1958 the Ministry of Power set up a committee to look at examinations for the iron ore industry. Day release courses were taught at the college and at Scunthorpe, Melton and Kettering. The C&G courses were the Iron Ore Operatives course, and the Iron Ore Quarrying Certificate. From September 1960 it was the first, and only, in the country to offer a block release course in the Iron Ore Quarrying Advanced Certificate, supported by the National Council of Associated Iron Ore Producers, and National Joint Board for the Iron Ore Industry. There was not a wide enough interest in that type of course across England. It was a three-year course, mostly for people who had attended a grammar school. Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Monday 3 October 1960, page 4 Lincolnshire Echo Tuesday 6 June 1961, page 10
In February 1962 it was the first in the country to have a block release for the Sand, Gravel and Quarrying Certificate, a C&G course. It would be one week in four, over two years, supported by the Institute of Quarrying and Sand and Gravel Association of Great Britain. People came from Scotland, Nottinghamshire, Kent and Somerset, staying in hotel accommodation for the four days. In 1961 a Somerset company had sent a letter to the college enquiring about a similar course to the iron ore quarrying, but in sand and gravel. Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 8 February 1962, page 5 Sleaford Standard Friday 16 February 1962, page 12
But, in August 1969, a proposed £130m steel plant at Scunthorpe Steelworks, by the British Steel Corporation, would mean the closure of the iron ore quarries at Exton Hall and Sproxton Quarry around 1973, as the Northampton Sand Formation was not good enough. There were around three hundred people working in these mines. A new iron ore terminal would be built at Immingham Dock, the Immingham Bulk Terminal, to take steel production at Scunthorpe from 3,100,000 tons to 5,400,000 tons, known as the 'Anchor project'.
From September 1961, it was decided to have only two training centres for gas fitting in Lincolnshire. One would be at Grantham, and the other at Grimsby FE College. From September 1968, the East Midlands Gas Board had requested that training be given as block-release, not day-release.
A licensed trades catering course was introduced in September 1961. Grantham Journal Friday 1 September 1961, page 3 The course was the National Trade Development Association's Innkeepers Catering Diploma. The NTDA became part of the Brewers' Society in December 1975.
From September 1963 it introduced a course for people in solicitors offices, Paralegal, who were not supported by the Institute of Legal Executives.
From September 1964 Kesteven Council decided to experiment with combining secondary education at the college, for one year. All 15-16 year olds at the William Robertson School in Welbourn would have one day a week at the college being taught commerce. College teachers would also visit the school. Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 5 March 1964, page 7 Sleaford Standard Friday 6 March 1964, page 15
In 1967 Rutland had 157 at FE college; of these, 75 were at Grantham College, and 51 at Melton College. Grantham Journal Friday 9 February 1968, page 13
In April 1974 control of the college passed from Kesteven to Lincolnshire County Council in Lincoln. Later, in 1979, it became Grantham College of Further Education. In the early 1990s control passed to the Further Education Funding Council for England, then to the East Midlands Learning and Skills Council based at Leicester. Also in the early 1990s the college name was shortened to Grantham College, and became an Associate College of Nottingham Trent University. It is now an Associate College of the University of Bedfordshire, and Bishop Grosseteste University College, and through these it offers HND, HNC, and Foundation degree courses.
The college was never officially a fully developed sixth form college, although used for that purpose; in 2008 a purpose-built sixth form college opened in Grantham at the Walton Girls High School.
From September 2010 the college provided for Equestrianism courses at The Paddocks Equestrian Centre at Hough-on-the-Hill, a village to the north of Grantham.
The former Girls Central School became an annexe of the college, known as the Teachers Centre Annexe. Grantham Journal Friday 9 October 1981, page 1
In January 1967 a 40 ft radio mast was put on the top of the college, for police radio transmissions. Grantham Journal Friday 13 January 1967, page 1
A pottery studio was built in Elsham House from September 1968, to form part of an art centre. Grantham Journal Friday 6 September 1968, page 3
It acquired a sports field in October 1969.
On Monday 19 September 1994 it opened its first residential block called Sedgwick Hall, for 49. It cost £650,000. The college was now separate from the county council. It could never have built this building when under the county council. Grantham Journal Friday 23 September 1994, page 3
It was given a drinks licence in September 1995. Grantham Journal Friday 11 August 1995, page 7 Grantham Journal Friday 8 September 1995, page 12
Grantham College is accessed via the A1 and East Coast Main Line, and the A52 from the east. However, most college usage is by those who live in close proximity. Similar education is available further north from Grantham, at Lincoln College's sites in Lincoln and Newark-on-Trent, and to east at Boston College in Boston. The other nearby Lincolnshire towns of Spalding and Bourne do not have FE colleges.
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