Based in Stewartby - 400 metres from the village train station which connects Bedford with Milton Keynes - Kimberley College opened in 2013 as a Sixth Form College specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

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Kimberley College is an outstanding and nationally recognised Sixth Form College where like-minded Sixth Formers study in state of the art facilities taught by highly qualified and dedicated teachers supported by prestigious employers and universities.

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Kimberley College students have the ultimate Sixth Form experience studying in accommodation you would not normally find before starting at university. Everybody who visits the College for the first time is impressed by our incredible building and facilities.

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Of course buildings are not everything - even ours! The Kimberley College experience includes specialist staff committed to Sixth Form teaching who share the vision of our College.  We work closely with universities and employers to provide a unique experience with lots of visiting lectures from highly qualified industry professionals and Higher Education academic staff as well as offering our students opportunities to visit universities and employers.

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Kimberley College offers a wide range of courses in addition to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics curriculum that you would expect to find in a STEM College. Students access a wide range of humanities, arts and modern foreign language courses. Kimberley College students can also access the specialist performing arts and sports curriculum offered at Wootton College using the Shuttle Bus which runs between the two Colleges.

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The College facilities include its own Careers Hub, a fully equipped gym, refectory and a Costa Coffee outlet. There are lots of enrichment activities offered by the College which so far have included public speaking, debating, trips to CERN, a visit to Istanbul for a specialist Computer Science study course, a field-study tour to Iceland, the opportunity to meet Nobel Prize winners and much, much more.  In addition, all Kimberley College students have free access to the many cultural and arts clubs offered at Wootton College.

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The Sixth Form experience offered by Kimberley College is a popular one and many students from a variety of different schools and colleges apply to join us each year. Students recognise that a specialist STEM college can help them develop the skills that they need and provide the stepping stone to maximise their chances as they progress into higher education or industry.

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Why a specialist STEM college?

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Kimberley College specialises in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

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These, and other related subjects, are crucial to our country's future economic success if we are to compete with other countries across the globe. Educational standards throughout the world are extremely high in these subjects.

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We believe that Kimberley College's STEM curriculum is outstanding because it draws on the best approaches and teaching methods used internationally. This benefits and inspires our future students in terms of qualifications and outlook, making them not only highly marketable to universities and employers but vital to the country as a whole in helping its economy.

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We believe that gathering together students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and similar subjects in the same college provides a highly stimulating and productive learning environment.

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We are continually building extensive links with major employers, universities and STEM specialist groups, involving them in designing our curriculum, and just as importantly, how to deliver it effectively within our one specialist institution, such as ours, rather than many.

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Crucially, once you have completed your courses, your qualifications and skills will be highly relevant and whether you choose to go to university or start employment as a Higher Level Apprentice in a STEM related industry we can guarantee that you will be in demand.

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College History

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Opened in September 2013, Kimberley College is the newest addition to Wootton Academy Trust which has many years of experience and expertise in running the highly successful Wootton Upper School and Arts College and Wootton College. We are dedicated to delivering outstanding opportunities and results for students across Bedfordshire and beyond, ensuring that they grow into well-rounded, informed and caring citizens.

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The College was opened to address the increasing need for specialist educational provision in the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), providing students with the qualifications and skills to become highly marketable to universities and employers, making them vital to the country as a whole in helping our economy.

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Throughout the planning and development stages we have built extensive links with employers, universities and STEM specialist groups, involving them in designing our curriculum and how to deliver it effectively.

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We intend to continue to build partnerships with these and other groups to ensure that we offer our students the best possible opportunities for their future.

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History of the Kimberley Building

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Kimberley College  is accommodated in a large three-storey award-winning building which was constructed in 2009 as the planned UK headquarters of ‘Hanson UK’, a major conglomerate. In addition to the extensive use of Hanson bricks, aggregate blocks and aircrete blocks, the building features the company's precast concrete products, aggregate and asphalt. Located on a brownfield site, there are two wings linked by a central hub known as the atrium. It is naturally ventilated, demonstrating the effectiveness of masonry construction in reducing energy consumption. It also incorporates low carbon techniques such as increased insulation and thermal mass through the exposed concrete prevalent throughout the building as well as other sustainable techniques such as SUDS and rainwater harvesting.

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When Hanson became part of the Heidelberg Cement group the building was no longer required and following a period of non-occupancy it was purchased for use as a future STEM College. The rest, as they say, is history!

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Our Vision

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• To become a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for STEM education

• To promote STEM subjects to our students, our local community and across the region

• To develop innovative and exciting ways to engage all our students in their learning

• To build lasting relationships with a broad range of industrial and Higher education partners to deliver a ‘cutting edge’ curriculum

• To provide a broad curriculum offer that complements our focus on STEM subjects

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Our Mission

The Trust’s outstanding reputation is based on its commitment to:

• upholding traditional values of honesty, integrity, respect;

• providing students with academic, personal and transferable skills needed to make them tomorrow’s leaders;

• maintaining excellent examination results;

• providing an all-round education.

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We are determined that our two Colleges will:

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• be centres of excellence in STEM, Arts and Humanities learning, teaching and assessment;

• challenge and support all students to develop lively enquiring minds, thereby enabling them to gain greater self-confidence and the determination to be successful in their future lives;

• use innovative teaching and curriculum organisation to transform the daily learning of all students with interactive technology informing each student’s progression;

• promote opportunities for students to meet and be mentored by STEM or ARTS ambassadors, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs, performers, composers and other artists as well as local, national and international employers;

• develop students into resilient adults able to communicate with confidence in English and to speak at least one other language;

• inspire students to become independent thinkers and skillful in considering ethical and philosophical issues;

• work in partnership with employers and with Higher Education to enable us to refine and develop the curriculum to ensure that the student experience keeps pace with incremental changes in technology and the arts and the escalating needs of local and regional employers;

• be safe places for students to learn and to enjoy their sixth form years.

 

 

Kimberley College is run by Wootton Academy Trust

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