Collyer's

28/09/2026

We are looking for a new member of staff to join our sports department. This role will involve providing admin support for the PE team in the delivery of Collyer’s competitive sports programme, sports curriculum and the Duke of Edinburgh Award course. The role includes maintaining records, liaising with teaching and support staff, communicating with students and external stakeholders and providing cover for the main reception desk..

This is a term time part time role starting in November. For full details please see our website:

The college is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and all successful candidates are required to apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure.

18/09/2026

UK SCHOOLS GAMES SUCCESS

"INCREDIBLE TALENT" PAUL NIXON ON TRACK FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE

Collyer's Paul Nixon, part of the college's Talented Athlete Support Scheme (TASS) and Crawley Athletic Club was recently selected by England Athletics to take part in the UK School Games at Loughborough University. The UK Schools Games is bi-annual multi sports competition, where Under 18 athletes represent the home nations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

A new competition format called Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) where 10 teams of 22 track & field athletes including para- athletes, take part in a range of selected events similar to London Diamond Athletics. Paul, ranked 8th in UK for 400m Hurdles was selected for the London Lions team.

On Friday against Eastern Eagles, Scottish Wildcats, Southern Scorpions and Welsh Dragons, Paul came 3rd in the 400m Hurdles race in 55.69s scoring 6 match points. He was also part of hunt relay (600m F, 400m M, 200m F & 800m M), where each team has a staggered start based on the total team points being converted into a time split. The winner of the hunt relay is declared the overall match winner. The London Lions came 5th qualifying for the B final.

On Saturday against Eastern Eagles, Northern Irish Giants, Northern Wolves and Welsh Dragons, Paul finished 2nd in the 400m Hurdles race in 55.72s scoring 8 match points. He was again a part of hunt relay team that started 3rd, but won the race and the B match and were presented with gold medals.

Collyer's Head of Sports Academy, John Burroughs, said: "Collyer's sport could not be prouder of Paul's exploits on the national stage. He is an incredible talent who has a bright future in athletics ahead of him."

18/09/2026

FRESHERS' START AT COLLYER’S!
CLUBS AND SOCIETIES "ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC"

This week at Collyer's different clubs and societies, including external organisations, promoted extra-curricular enrichment opportunities to Collyer’s students at the annual Freshers' Fair.

Internal clubs & Societies stands included: Black Students Society, Collyer's Wellbeing Workshops, Christian Union, Comedy Writing Group, Couch to 5k Running Club, Dungeons and Dragons; Feminist Society, Gender Society, Jazz Ensemble, Kirsty Brown Talks; Lego Club, Library, Model UN, Panto; RCU (Richard Collyer Student Union), Trans Society, Rocket Design and Build, and Young Enterprise.

Collyer’s Tutorial and Enrichment Co-ordinator, John Burroughs said: “The clubs and societies were enthusiastically promoted, which was absolutely fantastic to see! It was great to welcome so many new and returning students to our Freshers' Fair.

"The atmosphere was wonderfully positive and we can't wait to get cracking, as this year promises to be the best ever thanks to those who have put in so much work to make these enrichment activities possible."

Other exhibitors on show included: Greater Thameslink Railway, Horsham Bridge Club, the NHS, Springboard, West Sussex Fire Reserves Service, and the West Sussex Library Service.

Rebecca Adams, Collyer's Director of Progression, added: “We are hoping the students will make good use of some of the wonderful opportunities out there.

"Colossal thanks to those who managed the stands and celebrated their enrichment activities so positively. They are a credit to the Collyer's community.”

15/09/2026

COLLYER'S CELEBRATE 50 YEARS AS A SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
1976-2026 ANNIVERSARY MARKS "OPPORTUNITY AND ACHIEVEMENT"

Collyer’s recently welcomed back a number of ex-students and staff from their sixth form college era, to celebrate their conversion from a grammar school for boys to a sixth form college in September 1976.

Collyer's Executive Principal, Dan Lodge, said: "The event marked five decades of educational opportunity and achievement as a college community. The celebrations included the chance for the guests to reacquaint themselves, socialise and reminisce in the Café over a number of the ‘whole school’ photographs from the year of conversion, 1976 with the first four girls to join the College, through to 1998 whilst indulging in tea or coffee and cake!"

A programme and souvenir was provided to guests which included an extract from the Founder’s Day and 450th Anniversary Celebrations programme 7-8 May 1982, a roadmap of how the campus has evolved since 1893, details of ‘The Astronomer’ sculpture in the Mercers’ Quad which was created by Mr Edward Bainbridge Copnall MBE (1903-1973) and a bio-pic of each of the Principals in charge from 1966 to the present time – Derek Slynn (1966-1983), David Arnold (1983-1999), Mike Marchant (1999-2004), Jackie Johnston (2004-2014), Sally Bromley (2014-2020) and Dan Lodge (2020-present).

Guests were invited to Duckering Hall for a short presentation from Dan Lodge, and the opportunity to hear more about the five decades and the history of Collyer’s from alumni including: Professor Angie Hobbs (1977-1979), Mark Collins (1974-1980), Nick Weller (1974-1981), Professor Roger Dalrymple (1987-1989) and former Principal Sally Bromley, each sharing an anecdote or a memory of their time at Collyer’s. Fun was had guessing who was number one in the charts in early September of each decade and what was dominating the news at the time.

Tours of the campus highlighted how it has evolved since the college occupied the current Hurst Road site in 1893, with a number of current staff volunteering to lead excursions covering the old, new and refurbished areas of the College. Guests then enjoyed a barbeque lunch in the college's cafe with more opportunity to mingle with fellow alumni, colleagues and former teachers, some of whom had not seen each other in almost 50 years!

Dan Lodge, added: "Friendships were renewed and lots of memories re-lived. We have also received quite a number of lovely messages following the event to say how much it was enjoyed by the guests and a few also signing up as members of the Old Collyerians’ Association.

"We are now ready to start planning the 500th anniversary of our foundation, which we will be celebrating in 2032!"

Article by Linda Macleman
Photos by Tilley Stone

07/09/2026

Proud to be a founding partner of Horsham Learning Alliance and pleased to share this executive leadership opportunity.

HLA is seeking its next Chief Financial & Operating Officer, a pivotal role combining strategic leadership with a lasting impact on the lives of local young people.

Whether you may be interested yourself, or know someone who could be a great fit, please see the post below for full details and information on how to apply.

Applications close soon for our Chief Financial & Operating Officer opportunity.

We're seeking an exceptional leader to join our Executive Team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of Horsham Learning Alliance.

Working closely with the CEO, Board of Trustees and school and college leaders, the successful candidate will lead key professional services functions and help ensure our schools have the resources, systems and support they need to thrive.

If this sounds like the right next step for you, we'd be delighted to hear from you. Equally, if you know the perfect person, please do share this opportunity with them.

Find our more:

https://www.hla.education/Chief-Financial-and-Operating-Officer/

26/08/2026

We are looking for Study Support Assistants/Study Support Practitioners to support students with individual or additional needs in the classroom, in 1:1 sessions and as part of small group support. Ability to offer emotional literacy (ELSA), or English as an Additional Language (EAL) support would be desirable but not essential.

For full details please see our website:

The college is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and all successful candidates are required to apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure.

14/08/2026

We’re looking for an exceptional Chief Financial & Operating Officer to join Horsham Learning Alliance.

This is a pivotal senior leadership role for someone with the strategic insight and operational expertise to help shape the next stage of our growing Trust. Offering a competitive salary, it’s an opportunity to make a lasting impact across our organisation and the communities we serve.

Find out more and apply:
https://www.hla.education/Chief-Financial-and-Operating-Officer/

Know someone who could be a great fit? Please share this post.

13/08/2026

COLLYER'S STUDENTS HIT THE MARK!
RECORD 61% ACHIEVE A*-B AT A-LEVEL

Students at Collyer’s, one of the leading sixth form colleges in the country, have achieved a record 61% high grades (A*-B) at A-Level. Particularly strong individual A*-B subject results include Further Maths (91%), French (89%), Film (89%), German (86%), 3D Design (85%); Photography (84%), Computer Science (84%), Law (75%), Psychology (73%); Contemporary Fine Art (73%), Spanish (71%), History (70%), Physics (68%), Maths, Chemistry and Geology (all 64%). The overall A-level pass rate is 99%.

BTec Health and Social Care (Double) enjoyed a 100% D*-M high grade profile, with 20% of learners achieving Distinction*; Btec Double Sport, Travel and Tourism, and T-Level Education and Early Years also had 100% high grades, while BTec IT posted 62% high grades.

Collyer’s Principal Dan Lodge said: “This cohort have been richly rewarded for their hard work with a college A-level record of 61% A*-B and 76% high grade performance across our BTec provision.

“The class of 2026 are a credit to the college and the Collyer’s community could not be prouder of them.”

Chair of Collyer's Local Governing Body, Paul Mittendorfer, added: “Collyer's goes from strength to strength. Massive thanks to the excellent staff at Collyer’s for guiding and supporting our students so professionally.

“Congratulations and the best of luck to all our departing students as they embark on their exciting journeys!”

Just some of the noteworthy individual successes included: Emily Hall who previously attended The Burgess School for Girls, who now heads to the University of Bath to study Aerospace Engineering, former Tanbridge House pupil David Schofield, will study Environmental Science at UEA, ex Forest pupil Will Jackson will study Maths at the University of Oxford, while Marcus Kwok, having joined Collyer’s from Tanbridge House, will now attend UCL to study Chemistry with Mathematics. Former Bohunt Horsham student Ella Tyler heads to Cambridge to study Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, ex-Warden Park pupil Alexis Park Griffiths is off to the University of Bath to read Business Management and Marketing, and Aisa Niang, who joined Collyer's from the Gatwick School, will study a Bachelor's in Pastry Arts at École Ducasse in France. Eric Trinidad, who joined Collyer's from The Forest School will focus on the field of Geography at the University of Sheffield.

Victoria Barnes was awarded a triple Distinction* in BTec Art and Design and now heads to the University of Greenwich to study Graphic and Digital Design. She said: "I would like to thank my mum and sisters for their support and especially thank our family friend Jonathan for giving me his old computer, as without such I would not have been able to complete my course to such a high standard."

Emily Hall, who achieved A*s in Computer Science, Extended Project, Further Maths, Maths, and Physics, said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Collyer’s and many thanks to all of my teachers the past two years.”

Will Jackson added: “Collyer’s has been a great experience and I’m very grateful to all of my teachers for the support and encouragement they’ve given me over the past two years.”

Alexis Park Griffiths was thrilled: "Thank you to my family for supporting me during A levels and my teachers for always pushing me!"

David Schofield was delighted: “I am really grateful to all the family, friends and teachers who made the last two years so wonderful - at the end of the day it is our values and friendships that are more important than our grades! Many thanks for a brilliant time at Collyer's."

Ella Tyler said: "I am very thankful for all the teachers who have helped me throughout the two years to achieve these grades!"

Chelsea Omeje, who achieved straight Distinction* grades across Single Applied Science and Double Health and Social Care, is now heading to the University of Manchester to study Adult Nursing. She said: "I’m proud of how far I’ve come, grateful for the support and opportunities I’ve received at Collyer's, and even more excited for everything that lies ahead."

Marco Fanari, who achieved a Distinction* in BTec Engineering and A*s in Physics, Maths and Further Maths, will move on to study Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Southampton. Grace Shepherd also achieved Distinction* across her subjects, in Music Practitioners and Double Health and Social Care, and will now head to Buckinghamshire New University to study Music Production and Songwriting. She said: "I have really enjoyed my time at Collyer's and feel well prepared for my next steps."

Deputy Principal Steve Martell said: “We are delighted with the college’s particularly strong Level 3 vocational and T-Level success this year. With a 99.9% pass rate, our bright, resilient, hard-working students have performed wonderfully, yet again. They are an absolute credit to Collyer’s and their amazing teachers, tutors and support staff!”

Dan Lodge added: “We are the number one choice for A levels in West Sussex and look forward to welcoming a record number of new students this autumn.”

16/07/2026

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE!
SOUTH LODGE HOST COLLYER’S CHALLENGE OF MANAGEMENT 2026
Collyer’s students got a taste of the real world of business at the Challenge of Management 2026, run by the college at the 5-star South Lodge Hotel.

The event enabled teams of ten students, each led by a top representative from employers and the regional business community, to compete throughout the day in a number of business games, team building and leadership exercises.

Expert business representatives, leading practitioners, and guest speakers supporting the event included: Harry Adams (Achieving for Children), Toby Cotton (Kreston Reeves), Lauren Early (Quality Care Group), Maisie Edwards (who becomes a Radiographer in September, having just graduated from the University of Portsmouth), Kerry George (THALES), Amy Green (Specialist Risk Group and former President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Sussex); Mike Humphries (Collyer's Young Enterprise), Theo Martin (recent Falmouth University graduate), Clo Mehu (South Lodge, an Exclusive Hotel), Lizzy Modi (Discover Beyond), Maisie Poland (Schroders), Darren Pollard (Quality Care Group), Sanya Pramod (THALES), Kim Senior (Assurity Consulting), Sam Seeley (joining THALES in September), Lauchlan Slaughter (GlaxoSmithKline), and Smita Warren (Aviva) .

The popular and successful event is a key part of the college’s progression initiative and gave students a taste of the real world of management and employability skills.

Collyer’s Director of Progression, Rebecca Adams, who co-ordinated the event, said: “These leading professionals are all incredible supporters of Collyer’s and have given so much time, creativity, and energy to help the next generation. Our students found them engaging and truly inspiring!"

Collyer’s Deputy Principal Steve Martell, who hosted the event, said: “Enormous thanks to our hosts and sponsors South Lodge Hotel, the Insurance Institute of Sussex, and Mike Humphries. They have been, and continue to be, incredibly supportive of Collyer's.”

Throughout the day, attention was drawn to the learning opportunities that the tasks provided and Q&As about the routes available after college including insights into several pathways including apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships and degrees.

Mr Martell interviewed inspirational special guests including Amy Green, former Collyer’s students Harry Adams, Maisie Edwards, Kerry George, Sanya Pramod, and Sam Seeley. Talented musician Theo Martin also gave a fascinating insight into the creative industries, his undergraduate studies at Falmouth University and managing work experience in London. Smita Warren spoke about the use of AI in the job application process.

In addition to benefiting from this practical and personal advice, student teams enjoyed an interactive ice-breaker, and then competed in a sculpture and presentation competition, a lost at sea scenario, and the ever-popular production challenge. Using real life examples and techniques, teams discussed, planned and presented their ideas, to win prizes throughout the event.

Andrea John, Collyer’s Vice Principal (Pastoral) was impressed: “An inspiring day was had by all! This is a complex operation with many moving parts, so colossal thanks to Rebecca Adams and the Collyer’s team of Georgia Campbellwood, Julie Crysell, Ian McAlister, Parisa Murray, Roger Raymond, and Claire Savage. Their support was absolutely brilliant throughout the months of planning and on the big day itself.”

Collyer’s Ian McAlister, who hosted the sculpture and presentation challenge, added: “I thoroughly enjoyed the crackling atmosphere and was in awe of the sheer talent within the room!”

Photos courtesy of Ian McAlister

15/07/2026

COLLYER’S WELCOMES NEW STUDENTS

Collyer’s recently welcomed students to the college for a taster day, ready for a start in September 2026. Students visited the college from across the region to meet their new teachers and tutors, enjoy taster lessons in their chosen subjects and learn about Collyer’s “360 Degrees” enrichment offer.

Enrichment Fair organiser John Burrough said: “Our current students and staff ran stands including the debating society, sport academy teams, chess, robotics, table tennis and dance society. These and a multitude of other activities will form a vital part of the 360 Degrees enrichment programme which all students take part in from September!”

Helen Lobb, Collyer’s Director of Admissions, said: “The Welcome Day gives students a chance to cement their subject choices, and gives us a chance to warmly welcome them to the Collyer’s community.

"It is important that the new cohort have a clear idea of what college life will be like for them in September. ”

On arrival at the college, the new students were greeted by some of the Collyer’s Ambassadors, affectionately known as the “Dream Team”, who answered questions and guided them through their first day at the Ofsted Outstanding Sixth Form College. Since last year’s Welcome Day, the Ambassadors have been touring the region, presenting at schools’ post 16 options evenings and assemblies.

Deputy Principal Steve Martell said: “The Ambassadorial team are outstanding role-models and have been brilliant to work with!

"Huge thanks to Helen and all involved in making this wonderful day possible for our new students, who we very much look forward to welcoming at the start of the autumn term."