Long Road Sixth Form College

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Long Road Sixth Form College
Address
Long Road Cambridge, CB2 8PX, United Kingdom
Information
Religion	Non-denominational
Chairperson	Michael Womack
Principal	Sandra Hamilton-Fox
Enrollment	1,695 (October 10, 2004)
Teaching staff	150
LEA	Cambridgeshire LA
Ofsted number	130616
Gender	Mixed
Age	16 to 18
School type	State further education college
Language	English
Rival	Hills Road Sixth Form College
Established	1974
Status	Open
Feeder schools	Bassingbourn Village College, Bottisham Village College, Chesterton Community College, City of Ely Community College, Coleridge Community College, Comberton Village College, Cottenham Village College, Impington Village College, Linton Village College, Manor Community College, Melbourn Village College, Netherhall School, Parkside Community College, Sawston Village College, Soham Village College, St Bedes Inter-Church School, Swavesey Village College, Witchford Village College
Telephone number	+44 1223 507400
Fax number	+44 1223 507444
Notable alumni	P. D. James (Cambridgeshire High School for Girls)
Homepage	http://www.longroad.ac.uk/

Long Road Sixth Form College (LRSFC) is a sixth form college in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is situated on Long Road, from which it draws its name, and is situated next to the Bio-Medical Campus and Addenbrooke's Hospital.

[edit] History

The college was established in 1974 and occupies a 23-acre site. Prior to this it was the Cambridgeshire High School for Girls. A significant portion of the college's current buildings date from this period, although there has been extensive renovation and the construction of three entirely new blocks, as well as a new sports centre that opened in 2005 (the college's first new sports building since 1939). Other recent renovation projects included the expansion of the Learning Resource Centre and the creation of two new classrooms.

[edit] The college today

Looking across towards the college's main buildings (Blocks A,B & C) from the top floor of D Block.

The college has approximately 2,000 full-time students enrolled, the majority of whom are between the ages of 16 and 19. Most of these students study on A- and AS-Level courses, although an increasing number are taking National Diploma courses or Vocational A-Levels) and many also study on one-year GCSE courses (typically 7%). Those who make applications but do not achieve the 5 A*-C grades required to study A levels at the college are given the option of retaking and re-applying next year. Around 75% of students go onto Higher Education from Long Road each year and students tend to apply for a broad range of different universities, from redbricks to former polytechnics. A significant proportion of students each year also go into full-time work, often in management traineeships, or take a gap year before further study or work.

[edit] Added value

The college is considered very successful in terms of "Value Added" results, that is to say that post-16 students at the college tend to achieve A-Level grades above what their GCSE results would suggest they would obtain. In terms of added value, Long Road certainly outperforms Hills Road Sixth Form College nearby.

[edit] Atmosphere

The college has a reputation for taking a fairly relaxed approach to education. Traditionally this has suited many students, whose performance would be affected by high levels of pressure to perform. Nonetheless, in recent years there has been an increasing focus on raising standards. This has included several new initiatives to tackle punctuality, attendance, homework and smoking. Students who are considering choosing the college over Hills Road due to its reputation are likely to find the atmosphere significantly less informal, libertarian and progressive than the reputation suggests. For the time being, all members of staff, regardless of their seniority, are referred to by their first names. There is no uniform policy or dress code placed on students. The college believes in working in partnership with students to achieve the best and this does seem to work.^{[original research?]}

[edit] Subjects

A wide range of A level subjects are offered, in addition to GCSE subjects for students wishing to retake. The table below lists the subjects currently on offer, and their locations within the college.

[edit] A level

[edit] GCSE

* Applied GCSEs (equal to 2 traditional GCSE grades).

[edit] National diploma

[edit] Hills Road-Long Road debate

Long Road is one of the two main state funded-sixth form colleges in Cambridge, the other being Hills Road, which is located nearby. There is often a large amount of debate, particularly among secondary school students considering which sixth form to apply for, over which of the two colleges is better. While Hills Road students achieve higher grades, Long Road appears to 'add more value' - that is, Long Road students develop more over their period at the college. Various interpretations could be put on this data: it could be that Long Road mops up less able students and tackles the inadequacies of 11-16 schools, or caters well for a range of students with different GCSE experiences and qualifications.