Runshaw College

Infobox UK school
name = Runshaw College


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latitude = 53.6809
longitude = -2.6892
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established = 1974
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closed =
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type = General Further Education College
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president =
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head = Mr Michael Sheehan
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street = Langdale Road
city = Leyland
county = Lancashire
country = England
postcode = PR25 3DQ
LEA = Lancashire County Council
ofsted = 130741
staff = 800+
enrollment = 4,000+
gender = Mixed
lower_age = 16
upper_age =
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website = http://www.runshaw.ac.uk/
website_name = Runshaw College Website

Runshaw College is a further and higher education college based at three centres in Leyland and Chorley, Lancashire, England. Its main campus, in Leyland, is a sixth form college catering for students aged 16-19. The Euxton Lane, Chorley, campus is the centre for adult and higher education. The site also hosts the Runshaw Business Centre, meeting the needs of local small and medium sized enterprises; and Runshaw Training, offering apprenticeships and vocational training. Runshaw's third campus, in Chorley town centre, specialises in hairdressing, beauty and holistics.

The college had an outstanding Ofsted inspection report in 2005. [ [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.7c7b38b14d870c7bb1890a01637046a0/?urn=130741&providerCategoryID=128 Ofsted report] ]

History

Runshaw was founded in Leyland when the sixth forms of Parklands High School and Balshaws High School were amalgamated in 1974 to make a sixth form college primarily serving the boroughs of South Ribble and Chorley. The college has achieved awards for excellence: it won the UK EFQM Quality Award for Excellence in 2002 and, the following year, it won the European Award, the prize presented by the President of Finland in Helsinki. It became one of the government's Beacon Colleges in 2006.

Former students

These include Kevin Simm and Jessica Taylor of Liberty X, actor Michael Dixon (who in 2006 played Chris Pitcher in "Coronation Street"), actor/comedian John Thomson and actress Samantha Robinson who has appeared in two ITV Drama Premiers and in an episode of "Shameless".

Other notable ex-Runshaw students are footballers David Unsworth and Tom Cahill, Lancashire and England 'A' cricketer Tom Smith and the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron. Amanda Roocroft, international opera star and winner of a Laurence Olivier Award, was an A level student at Runshaw. The college's theatre is named after her. Former New Labour spin doctor, Derek Draper, was also a student and helped to set up the College's Students' Union. Runshaw is the only state school or college to provide two presidents of the Cambridge Students' Union, Pav Ahktar and Laura Walsh. Also the actor Joseph Gilgun from the 2006 film "This Is England" attended Runshaw College.

The majority of the cast and crew from the locally produced movie Displaced [ [http://www.displacedmovie.com Displaced The Official Movie Website - The Action Movie Event Of The Year! ] ] (2007, Skylandian Pictures) attended Runshaw College.

References