Padworth College
Encyclopedia
Padworth College is an independent co-educational senior school
at Padworth
, between Burghfield
Common and Tadley
in the English
county of Berkshire
.
The college was established in 1963 by an Oxford
don
who aimed to bring university style tutorial teaching methods to school level education. Originally a sixth form
boarding school
for girls, Padworth College became co-educational in 2005 and now accepts students between ages thirteen and nineteen.
The principal, Linde Melhuish, joined the College in 2006, having served as Head of the Languages Faculty and member of the College Leadership Team at Malvern Girls' College
.
The college is based in Padworth House, the local manor house
and 18th century home of the military Darby-Griffith family, including Major-General Matthew Chitty Darby-Griffith
. In the 1820s, it was rented to Thomas Bacon, after he had sold the Plymouth Ironworks
in Wales, inherited from his father
. He later moved to Donnington Castle
House.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
at Padworth
Padworth
Padworth is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, between Burghfield Common and Tadley.Padworth is in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, not far from the Hampshire border...
, between Burghfield
Burghfield
Burghfield is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, close to the boundary with Reading.-Location:Burghfield is about southwest of Reading...
Common and Tadley
Tadley
Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
The college was established in 1963 by an Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
don
University don
A don is a fellow or tutor of a college or university, especially traditional collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge in England.The term — similar to the title still used for Catholic priests — is a historical remnant of Oxford and Cambridge having started as ecclesiastical...
who aimed to bring university style tutorial teaching methods to school level education. Originally a sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for girls, Padworth College became co-educational in 2005 and now accepts students between ages thirteen and nineteen.
The principal, Linde Melhuish, joined the College in 2006, having served as Head of the Languages Faculty and member of the College Leadership Team at Malvern Girls' College
Malvern Girls' College
Malvern St James is a leading independent school for girls in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England. Renamed in 2006 from Malvern Girls' College following a succession of amalgamations with other independent schools for girls in the Malvern area, it continues to occupy the same campus as...
.
The college is based in Padworth House, the local manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and 18th century home of the military Darby-Griffith family, including Major-General Matthew Chitty Darby-Griffith
Matthew Darby-Griffith
Matthew Chitty Darby, later Darby-Griffith, was a British soldier and Major-General.He was a son of Vice-Admiral George Darby and Mary daughter of Sir William St Quintin, 4th Baronet...
. In the 1820s, it was rented to Thomas Bacon, after he had sold the Plymouth Ironworks
Plymouth Ironworks
The Plymouth Ironworks was a major 18th century and 19th century ironworks located at Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales....
in Wales, inherited from his father
Anthony Bacon (industrialist)
Anthony Bacon was an English-born merchant and industrialist who was significantly responsible for the emergence of Merthyr Tydfil as the iron-smelting centre of Britain.-Background:...
. He later moved to Donnington Castle
Donnington Castle
Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire.- History :...
House.