| Motto | Monumentum Aere Perennius ("A memorial more enduring than bronze") |
|---|---|
| Established | 1706 |
| Type | Sixth form college |
| Principal | Mr Mark Vinall |
| Founder | William Palmer |
| Location | Chadwell Road Grays Essex RM17 5TD England |
| Local authority | Thurrock |
| DfE number | ???/8602 |
| DfE URN | 130682 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 16–19 |
| Former name | Palmer's Grammar School |
| Website | www.palmers.ac.uk |
Palmer's College is a sixth form college for 16 - 19 year olds in Thurrock, Essex, England. With an 'outstanding' Ofsted inspection in 2007, the College was awarded Beacon status in 2008. It offers a wide range of courses including the International Baccalaureate (IB), over 40 A level subjects, and a variety of BTEC, Business Technology and GCSE courses.
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The college is situated on Chadwell Road (B149) on the opposite (southern) side of the road to the Thurrock and Basildon College (now called South Essex College of Further and Higher Education), next to the A1089 just north of the A126 junction (Marshfoot Interchange). It is close to the boundary between Little Thurrock (to the west) and Chadwell St Mary. It is administratively in Thurrock and although its postal address is Grays, it is located in the religious parish of St Mary the Virgin, Little Thurrock.
Palmer's was first opened in 1706 when the merchant William Palmer founded a charity school for 'ten poore children' of the parish of Grays Thurrock, endowing it with valuable property in the town and Lombard Street, in the heart of the City of London. Initially located in a small building inside the churchyard, the school evolved into a boys' school of modest merit. However in response to the changing educational landscape initiated by the 1870 Education Act, the trustees of Palmer's charity re-launched the school on a new site on the hill above the town in 1874. To this a girls' school was added in 1876.[1] As grammar schools both boys' and girls' establishments flourished during the twentieth century, variously referred to as William Palmers' School and the Palmer's Endowed School. William Strang, 1st Baron Strang, perhaps Palmer's most distinguished alumnus, recalled it in 1905 as 'a modest establishment, modest that is in size and in material equipment, but not at all modest in the opinion which it held of itself'.[2] However, the boys school, which admitted both day pupils and boarders until 1970, achieved the status of a public school, 1931-46, and went on to become a notable centre of sporting and musical activity in south Essex.
In 1971, as part of the reorganisation of education in Essex, the boys' and girls' schools amalgamated, together with Aveley Technical High School, to constitute a sixth form college. During the mid-1970s, the boys' and Aveley schools relocated to the College's present site (until then occupied by the Girls' School alone). The College is still supported by the William Palmer College Education Trust, the direct successor of the trustees William Palmer appointed to administer his charity. Artefacts from the schools' past can be seen in the College library.
2008 saw a record number of students applying to the College with over 2000 students enrolling. The College is equipped with modern teaching facilities set in beautiful grounds. Both students and the general public have access to a newly refurbished sports and fitness centre (including gym), and Palmer's hosts a variety of events for children from local schools on its playing fields.
The Student Executive are the "voice of the students" within the college; they are responsible for organising many college events. The Student Executive of 2007-2008 raised £4,000 for Little Havens Children’s Hospice while The Student Executive of 2008/9 raised £3,000 for Cancer research UK as well as hosting various social events and fundraising days over the course of the year.
The school has a good record of students attaining places on the prestigious Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme. The school achieved its first two students in the inaugural year of the programme, 2008. In 2009 it had another successful applicant.[3]
In 2006 Palmer's College celebrated its 300th anniversary and is proud to be able to trace its roots back over 300 years.
It gets A level results slightly under the England average, which is the best in Thurrock LEA. However there are only two places in the LEA that sit A levels. Most sixth form colleges in England typically do much better, though this is without taking into account variations in the character of their catchment areas.
A 2007 inspection by OFSTED concluded 'Palmer’s is an outstanding college'. Student achievement and the standard of work were good and success rates overall 'well above national averages for learners from all backgrounds'. The College was also praised for its retention rates and value-added scores.[4]
Palmer's College is committed to serve its community through excellent teaching and support for all students. the College aims to ensure that, in their pursuit of learning, students are enthusiastically engaged and successful in the achievement of their goals. It aims to widen their aspirations to take full advantage of a more globalised inter-dependent world.
Past members of the college may join the Old Palmerians' Association which holds a variety of events and allows past pupils to keep in touch with the College. In 2007, the Association published 300 Years of Palmer's - a miscellany of record and reminiscence.
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