News Collyer’s Celebrate 50 Years As A Sixth Form College 02.09.2026

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!”