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London: Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College

Sunday, 1 May 2011

London: Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College

Age: 129

History: The college began in 1881 when Hammersmith School of Art was established inBrook Green. In 1975, Hammersmith College of Art and Building, Hammersmith College forFurther Education and West London College merged to form Hammersmith and WestLondon College. In January 2002, Hammersmith and West London College merged withEaling Tertiary College to form Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College.

Address: Four sites: Acton, Ealing, Hammersmith and Southall. Hammersmith is thelargest, with more than 10,000 students on this site alone. In September 2003, the collegeopened its first Sixth Form Centre (as part of Southall & West London College) and hassince gone on to open two more in Ealing and Hammersmith.

Ambience: The essential studying-in-the-city experience; big, bustling and urban, withlots of swanky new facilities. Each site is very different and has its own identity, but the

college is big enough to provide impressive facilities and a variety of subject areas to suitalmost any learner.

Vital statistics: As one of the largest colleges in the UK with four separate sites, it isperhaps unsurprising that every year more than 25,000 students enrol on one of the manycourses they offer. There are more than 1,500 teaching and support staff to assiststudents, in excess of 500 courses to choose from, ranging from basic learningdevelopment and pre-vocational qualifications to postgraduate and professional levels.

Added value: A range of HE and professional courses are offered, with smaller class sizesthan in a traditional university environment, lower fees and excellent progression routesinto employment or further study. The college college has its own record label, Grade 9Records, and its football team is coached and managed by QPR.

Easy to get into? Yes – keen on widening participation.

Glittering alumni: Estelle, Marcus Brigstocke and Terri Walker all went through theperforming arts division.

Transport links: All of the sites are based within easy walking distance of underground ormainline stations and main bus routes. The surrounding areas offer a vibrant mix of shops,parks, cafes and bars. The Acton site is a 10-minute walk from Acton Town tube station.Ealing Broadway tube station is 10 minutes away from the Ealing site. Barons Court tube isless than 5 minutes from the Hammersmith site. Southall overground station serves theSouthall site.

Who's the boss? Paula Whittle, principal.

Teaching: A 2011 Ofsted report graded the college's overall standard of provision assatisfactory, but outstanding in its safeguarding and provision for learners with learningdifficulties and/or disabilities and

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Foundation degrees: Business; hospitality management; computing science; social care;travel and tourism.

Nightlife: All of London just a short hop on the tube away.

Any accommodation: Yes, in various hostels dotted around the west of the city. Doubleand single dormitory rooms are available, and you can have breakfast and an evening mealprovided.

Cheap to live there? Nope. This is London, so expect to pay around £100 per week for a

room in a shared flat.

Fees: £!,345 for full-time home undergrads starting in 2011. Fee plans for 2012 are yet tobe confirmed.

Bursaries: In 2011, the college will continue to offer six HE bursaries, awarded to full-timeHE students based on attendance, progress and a number of other criteria. Each HEbursary is worth £700, with £400 being awarded in year one, and subject to successfulcompletion of their first year of study, a further £300 in year two. In 2012, the college willbe participarting in the National Scholarship Programme.

Prospectus: 020 7491 1841; www.wlc.ac.uk

UCAS code: E10