Prior Pursglove College is a sixth form college

Sixth form college

A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_08.pl?No=8078606&Mode=Z&Type=SC&Phase=2&Year=08&Begin=s&Base=a&Num=807 in Guisborough

Guisborough

Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....

 in the local education authority of Redcar and Cleveland

Redcar and Cleveland

The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...

, North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England. The college has been an educational institution since its founder Robert Pursglove

Robert Sylvester (Pursglove)

Robert Pursglove was an English sixteenth-century bishop.-Life:He was born in Tideswell, Derbyshire the son of Adam Pursglove; his mother's name was Bradshawe. By a maternal uncle, William Bradshawe, he was sent to St Paul's School, London, where he spent nine years. After a short spell at St...

 set up the grammar school there in the 16th century after helping with the dissolution of the nearby Guisborough Priory. Other references to the English reformation

English Reformation

The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

 remain in the college to this day such as the Coverdale

Myles Coverdale

Myles Coverdale was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English.-Life:...

 building named after the creator of the English translated bible. It is situated on the former site of Guisborough Grammar School, which it replaced as a result of restructuring. The Grammar School was originally founded as a charitable school for poor boys. Prior Pursglove merged with South Park Sixth Form College in 1997, eventually consolidating the provision of education on to the Guisborough campus. The schools census is over 2500 students.

Buildings

The older part of the college buildings was built by architect Alfred Waterhouse

Alfred Waterhouse

Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...

 in 1887 for Guisborough Grammar School, and is Grade II listed. A tablet over the archway reads: "Founded in the reign of Queen Elizabeth AD 1561 Guisborough Grammar School re-erected in the reign of Queen Victoria AD 1887".

Educational provision

The college mainly specialises in A levels, however in recent years the college has adopted a number of other courses to compete with other colleges in the area and in 2009 the college was awarded International Baccalaureate World School status.