Paston College and North Walsham - Moving with the Times

11 March, 2004

Paston College in North Walsham is considering relocating to new purpose-built facilities - a move that could free up its current town centre site for a major redevelopment and new community uses, to allow regeneration to continue and to meet the needs of a growing town.

Peter Mayne, Principal of the historic college (famously attended by Horatio Nelson), will tomorrow introduce the idea for discussion at the North Walsham Town Conference of the business and community leaders and representatives who make up the North Walsham Area Partnership (NWAP).

Paston College is an important and active member of the Partnership, which exists to develop projects to improve the local economy and community. Mr Mayne's presentation will allow the group to begin discussions about how the town can best take advantage of Paston's current site in the heart of North Walsham.

It is envisaged that Paston College might move to the playing fields it owns on Station Road adjacent to the new Victory swimming pool and fitness centre.

This would allow the college to invest in the facilities it must have if it is to meet the ever-growing educational needs of North Walsham, and to offer more vocational and other courses so it can do business in today's competitive environment.

A statement from Mr Mayne, including parts of the presentation he is due to give tomorrow, is attached with this news release.

Philip Burton, Chief Executive of North Norfolk District Council (an 'enabler' for the NWAP) said NNDC would bring in the expertise of, and opportunities presented by, the wider North Norfolk Community Partnership (NNCP) to help find uses for Paston's current site.

The NNCP (of which the District Council is a lead partner) is a group of authorities, agencies, and voluntary and community bodies working to co-ordinate the delivery of essential services. It includes organisations like the North Norfolk Primary Care Trust, which is already looking at whether it (and the community) could benefit from moving several, disparate North Walsham area facilities to a single modern and integrated health and social care centre on the town centre site.

Mr Burton said: "North Walsham has been identified as a 'growth town' in the Local Plan, and the services available to local people will need to grow with it. The Paston sites, potentially, give us somewhere to put them.

"This could be a great opportunity to ensure the viability of North Walsham into the future, and we will work with local people to ensure that their views are considered, and that whatever happens meets their needs."

The North Walsham Town Conference tomorrow, from 10am onwards, is an invitation-only event.

For more information contact:

• Peter Mayne, Principal of Paston College, on 01692 402334.
• Steve Blatch, Head of Regeneration at North Norfolk District Council, on 01263 516232.
• Diana Clarke, Chief Executive of the North Norfolk Primary Care Trust, on 01263 710611.

Release and statement from Peter Mayne, Principal, Paston College.

A new Paston for the 21st Century

At the town conference held at the Beechwood Hotel in North Walsham today (Friday, 12 March, 2004), Peter Mayne, Principal of Paston College, described the college's part in a potentially huge investment in the town which could realise many of the ambitions of regeneration in North Norfolk's largest town.

"Paston has been a Norfolk and a North Walsham institution for almost 400 years but as it plans life into its fifth century an exciting project beckons," he said.

"Paston has survived and flourished for 400 years because it has moved with the times and met successfully the needs of the community it serves," said Mr Mayne.

"Today Paston College enjoys an excellent reputation as a sixth form college. Students travel from almost 400 square miles of coastal and rural north Norfolk (from the towns of Aylsham, Cromer, North Walsham, Sheringham, Stalham and Wroxham and their surrounding areas) and even from Norwich. Paston has also developed rapidly over the past five years as a community college, and is now a major centre for adult education in locations throughout north east Norfolk.

"North Norfolk deserves a modern, state of the art college and in order to achieve this Paston must move from its town centre sites, which though charming, have historic buildings which offer limited scope for further development. The good news is that Paston will stay in the town and close to the historic town centre."

Mr Mayne said that the college had investigated other locations but North Walsham's central position, its status as the district's largest town, its capacity for further growth and the ease of rail transport using the Bittern Line, were all important factors in the decision to stay.

So what would be new about "the 21st Century Paston"?

Mr Mayne was keen to assure everyone that Paston College would continue to provide the high quality academic courses for which it is highly regarded. He saw a future in which the number of advanced level students and advanced level courses would in fact grow.

"The sixth form college is here to stay," he promised.

North Norfolk, however, has wider education and training needs. Paston has a central role in narrowing the skills gap between what the economy and employers demand and the skills currently available.

Paston already runs successful vocational courses including work-based courses for pupils in local high schools. In future it will extend its range of vocational and skills courses so that local young people and adults can study locally rather than travelling to Norwich, Great Yarmouth or even Kings Lynn.

"To make this contribution to the well-being of local people and our economy, Paston must relocate to modern and purpose built buildings which allow us to assist in the development and training of the workforce of tomorrow," Mr Mayne said.

"I am pleased to tell you that Paston College has the full support and encouragement of the Learning and Skills Council Norfolk in this project and work, albeit in the early stages, is already in hand to put together a capital scheme to fund the 'new college'.

"My vision of the 21st Century Paston is of a resource for the whole community: a college providing high quality sixth form education and vocational training. It will become the hub of 'lifelong learning' for adults, a college open all year and all hours. Planned in this way the new Paston will be at the heart of our community and our local economy.

"This is exciting enough for Paston and the community, however I am also delighted to tell you that an even more ambitious project is under investigation of which this would be but a part. This would provide a unique opportunity for partnership between the College, the Primary Care Trust and the three tiers of local government, to bring about a massive improvement in the provision of local services in North Walsham and a large injection of capital into our town."

"I believe firmly that this development is entirely in harmony with the spirit in which Sir William Paston founded his school in 1606 and also with the motto of that school, 'De mieux en mieux pour tout' - from better to better for everyone."

Note for editors

Peter Mayne may be contacted at the North Walsham Town Conference, to be held at the Beechwood Hotel, North Walsham, during the morning of March 12th and at the College on 01692 402334 from 14:00 Friday March 12th

Background information:
Paston has been a Norfolk and a North Walsham institution for almost 400 years but as it plans life into its fifth century an exciting project beckons. Paston has survived and flourished for 400 years because it has moved with the times and met successfully the needs of the community it serves - "Sir William Paston's Free School", Paston Grammar School, the Paston School. Today Paston is a sixth form college, nationally the most successful model of sixth form education, and so north Norfolk's specialist college for full time sixth form students. It enjoys an excellent reputation locally, recently endorsed by a good Ofsted report. It is then no surprise that young people come to the college from almost 400 square miles of coastal and rural north Norfolk (from the towns of Aylsham, Cromer, North Walsham, Sheringham, Stalham and Wroxham and their surrounding areas) and even travel out from Norwich.

Founded in 1606, 2005 sees the bi-centenary of Trafalgar, the victory of Paston's most famous son, Horatio Nelson, and this year the 20th birthday of the sixth form college. The college was born in 1984 out of the Paston School and the North Walsham High School for Girls to provide a sixth form of sufficient size to offer a broad and modern choice of courses to students from local schools. It has also developed rapidly over the past five years as a community college, a major centre for adult education providing courses all over north east Norfolk.

ENDS