John Leggott College is a sixth form college on West Common Lane, in Old Brumby, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England.
History
Technical school Scunthorpe Central Technical School began around 1923.Grimsby News Friday 20 April 1923, page 6 In the late 1930s, it was called the Scunthorpe Technical School.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 28 October 1939, page 1
In 1944, it became the Scunthorpe Technical High School on Cole Street, run by Lindsey County Council Education Committee, based in Lincoln, although its Scunthorpe Divisional Executive was based on Wells Street; this followed on from the Central School in Scunthorpe. There were 500 boys and girls, and the headmaster was John R. Leggott BSc. It had a sixth form, from 1948. The school focussed on technical skills which were of help to Scunthorpe's steel industry. Until the technical college opened in 1953, the technical high school provided most of the technical education in evening classes for the town. In 1957, for one year, the school became Scunthorpe Grammar Technical School.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Monday 7 January 1957, page 5Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Friday 22 February 1957, page 5
John Leggott lived at 38 Glanville Avenue.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 7 June 1951, page 1 He was president of the Scunthorpe Head Teachers' Association.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 3 April 1952, page 5 He died suddenly, at home, on Friday 19 April 1957, aged 60, when he was the headmaster.Gainsborough Evening News Tuesday 23 April 1957, page 6 In September 1957 it was decided to name the school after him.Gainsborough Evening News Tuesday 1 October 1957, page 6Gainsborough Evening News Tuesday 22 April 1958, page 11 The new head was appointed in July 1957, aged 41.Grimsby Evening Telegraph Tuesday 23 July 1957, page 6 Some parents complained if their child was allocated to the John Leggott Grammar School, and not Scunthorpe Grammar School.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Friday 10 October 1958, page 1
Grammar school The college was founded in 1958 as John Leggott Grammar School with 600 pupils aged 11–18. German, Spanish and Russian were added by the early 1960s.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Wednesday 4 January 1961, page 14
Plans from the new site of the grammar school were ready by August 1960, to start building in April 1961, and to open by 1963. In April 1961, it was decided to build, instead, a copy of the Frederick Gough School, to be able to open a year earlier, due to vastly less-original design work and bill of materials that would be required.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 6 April 1961, page 9
The building was to cost £250,000, with an octagonal hall and a swimming pool, but would be largely a copy of the Bottesford Grammar School (renamed the Frederick Gough Grammar School in 1960).Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Monday 22 August 1960, page 5 Plans for comprehensive education in Scunthorpe were being discussed, and the original plan was for comprehensive education by 1965, with the three grammar schools being 11–19 schools, and the secondary modern schools being for ages 11–16. By December 1962, the cost would be £300,000.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 27 December 1962, page 4 There would be 120 in the sixth form.
The new grammar school opened on Tuesday 10 September 1963. The next phase would open in June 1964, for a roll of 720, with six science laboratories, woodwork and metalwork rooms, and a housecraft room. The coat of arms featured Brumby Hall. The staircase and balustrading was made by Metalcraft of Stamford.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Monday 9 September 1963, page 7 The first headteacher was Eric Charlesworth. The grammar school catchment area was from the north-east of the borough, towards Winterton and beyond.
From 1963, the three grammar schools, in Scunthorpe, would develop their curriculum together, to elevate the standard of education across the town. But these common high standards would be largely diminished, if not forgotten about, once comprehensive education had taken over, exempting the sixth form college. The first school stage production at the new school was The Rivals in December 1964. A previous production had been in the Civic Theatre (Plowright Theatre).Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Friday 4 December 1964, page 8Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Friday 11 December 1964, page 1
Sixth form college
The sixth form college was established in September 1968 due to a reorganisation of education in Scunthorpe. It was the second sixth form college in the country, after Luton Sixth Form College in 1966.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Wednesday 27 October 1993, page 4
It is commonly known as JLC and now has more than 1600 students. In 1971, there were 500 sixth formers, and by 1973, it was run by the Borough of Scunthorpe Education Committee, in April 1974 run by the Scunthorpe Division of Humberside Education Committee, and in April 1996 by North Lincolnshire.
John Render, aged 20, from Old Row, in Burton-on-Stather, died in the Flixborough disaster. He had played in the college football team.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 18 January 1973, page 16Flixborough
On 30 November 2010 a number of students from the college participated in the nationwide 2010 UK student protests against the rise in university tuition fees. In 2010, John Leggott principal Nic Dakin retired from his role to represent the Scunthorpe constituency for the Labour Party. David Vasse succeeded him as principal in 2010, to be replaced in 2016 by new principal Leon Riley.
Principals Eric Charlesworth lived in Scawby, died on 3 June 2013, aged 97 Keith Constable from September 1978, taking over from the first head, having been vice-principal for five years, originally from Colchester, was a Physics teacher,Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 27 April 1978, page 1 who took part in Morris dancing;Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 23 March 1985, page 7 he left in December 1989Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 30 December 1989, page 3 34 year old David Linnell, who studied economics at Leicester, took over in April 1990. He was formerly vice-principal of Colchester Sixth Form CollegeScunthorpe Evening Telegraph Tuesday 3 April 1990, page 3
Notable alumni
Darren Bett, BBC weather forecaster Gina Bramhill, actress Gordon Dougan, biochemist Neil Priestley, cricketer Martin Simpson, folk singer, guitarist and songwriter Sheridan Smith OBE, actress Rachel de Souza, educationalist, social reformer and Children's Commissioner for England Matt Sparrow, footballer until 2010 for Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe Technical High School Wallace L. W. Sargent, astronomer
Former teachers Christina Baxter (1969–73), Head of Religious Education from 1973 to 1976 Alexander Harvey (1904–1987), Principal of Scunthorpe Technical School from 1942 to 1946 Richard Vergette, playwright
References
External links John Leggott Sixth Form College official website
News items College principal chosen as Labour candidate for Scunthorpe in November 2009