The development of higher and further education in Sunderland since 1908

Abstract

The purpose of this survey is to describe the development of higher and further education in Sunderland since 1906 and is therefore chiefly concerned with the development of the Technical College and to a lesser extent, the College of Education and the College of Art. I908 marked the end of the first phase of the Technical College's development because in that year, by the provisions of the University of Durham Act, it was granted conditional permission for affiliation. This year also saw the establishment of a separate Day Training College instead of a Department of Education of the Technical College. The survey ends in 1969 with the re-combining of the Art and Technical Colleges to form the Sunderland Polytechnic and the College of Education receiving its own Instrument and Articles of Government. The way in which a Technical College specialises and develops often depends upon the area in which it is situated and whose industries it serves. Likewise, the amount of financial assistance it receives depends upon the economic health of the hinterland. For this reason, Chapter 1 is devoted to the economic history of Sunderland, whilst Chapter 2 is concerned with the dominant industry of the town, namely shipbuilding. The third chapter briefly traces the development of further education in Sunderland from 1825, when the first Mechanics' Institute was founded, through the early history of the School of Science and Art, from which all forms of higher education in Sunderland can claim descent, to 1908 when they all went their separate ways. The general development of teacher training in England and Wales is given in Chapter 4 whilst Chapters 5 and 6 describe in detail, the development of teacher training in Sunderland. The Day Training College in Sunderland, in its early days, aroused much local political controversy, as described in Chapter 5, whilst Chapter 6 shows how it grew from a small college to become the largest College of Education within the Durham Institute of Education. The growth from a small School of Art to being a constituent College of Art and Design within the Sunderland Polytechnic is described in Chapter 7.The way in which further education in general and technical education in particular has developed nationally is described in Chapter 8, whilst the next four chapters are concerned with its provision in Sunderland, Chapter 9 deals with the Technical College during the years 1908 to 1919, and Chapter 10 with the struggle between the Wars, to gain affiliation to the University of Durham for the Engineering Department, and recognition of the Pharmacy Department by the University of London, Chapter 11 begins with the fine work done during the World War II and then describes the growth of the Technical College as a result of the help given on a national level after 1956. The Technical College is then divided into three Colleges, the Monkwearmouth College of Further Education and the West Park College of Further Education enabling the parent college to aim for C.A.T. status. The final chapter is concerned with events after the publishing of the Bobbins Report, and ends with some conclusions.