| Paston College | |
| Motto: | French: De mieux en mieux pour tout
|
| Head Label: | Principal |
| Head: | Corrienne Peasgood |
| City: | North Walsham |
| County: | Norfolk |
| Postcode: | NR28 9JL |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Gender: | Coeducational |
| Lower Age: | 16 |
| Upper Age: | 19+ |
| Colours: | Burgundy and grey |
| Free Label 1: | Former pupils |
| Free 1: | Old Pastonians |
| Website: | www.paston.ac.uk |
Paston College (previously Paston Sixth Form College) is a sixth form college located in the town of North Walsham, Norfolk. The college has been part of City College Norwich, following a merger of the two colleges, since 1 December 2017.[1]
Sir William Paston's Free School (known as Paston School) was founded on the present site in 1606 by local magistrate and landowner Sir William Paston. An all-boys boarding grammar school, it sent most of its pupils to Gonville College, Cambridge. In 1610, Sir William died and the Trustees created by his will continued to keep the school in operation. The Trustees continue to own two of the college's three sites. In 1766, a new school building on the Grammar School Road was completed. From 1700 until 1984, Paston School had four houses, Tenison (Red), Wharton (Blue), Hoste (White) and Nelson (Yellow). In 1919, North Walsham High School for Girls, a girls grammar school was opened by the Misses Cooke, known locally as "Cookies" to complement the work of Paston. The expansion of local railways led more pupils travelling daily to Paston by railway (known as "train boys"), and by 1946 more than 270 boys were day pupils. Students continued to board until the mid-1950s. The Twentieth Century brought radical changes to education in Britain, with the 1902 and 1944 Education Acts. In 1908, Paston School became a public secondary school under the new Norfolk Local Education Authority. By 1944, the Butler Education Act abolished school fees. In 1953, Paston School became a voluntary aided grammar school and later a voluntary controlled grammar school. Paston Sixth Form College was formed in 1984 when grammar schools, Paston School and North Walsham High School for Girls merged. In 1993, the college was incorporated as an Independent College of Further Education under the 1991 Further and Higher Education Act. In 2017, Paston Sixth Form College merged with City College Norwich and changed its name to Paston College. The college occupies the buildings of its 2 predecessor schools. The two sites include buildings dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, set in extensive lawns in the centre of the town.
Paston College offers A-Levels, GCSEs, Level 2 Programme and the Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma. A-Level courses include; Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Drama and Theatre Studies, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, Film Studies, French, Further Mathematics, Geography, Graphic Communication, History, Law, Maths, Media Studies, Philosophy and Religion, Photography, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology and Textiles.[2]
In 2017, Paston College's A Level results were 53% A*-B, 80% A*-C, 99% A*-E. At BTEC, students achieved 100% pass rates, with 63% achieving top grades. The majority of students go on to university, including Oxford, Cambridge and other Russel Groups.
| GCE Results | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A*-B (%) | 52 | 57 | / | 50 | 50 | 53 | |
| A*-C (%) | 75 | 74 | / | 75 | 78 | 80 | |
| A*-E (%) | 98 | 94 | / | 96 | 98 | 99 |
[1764-67: school closed for rebuilding]
Since 1606, the college's coat of arms has been that of the Paston Family, containing a griffin crest and six fleur-de-lys. The college's motto De mieux en mieux en pour tout ("From good to better everywhere") also belongs to William Paston and is associated with these coat of arms.[4] [5]