View source for John Ruskin College

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox school
| name            = John Ruskin College
| image           = John Ruskin College Logo.jpg
| image_size      = 
| coordinates     = {{coord|51.351|-0.043|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dec|display=inline,title}}
| motto           = 
| established     = 1920-1988 – founding institutions<br />1988 – John Ruskin College<br />2019 – constituent college of Orbital South Colleges
| closed          = 
| type            = [[Further education]]
| religion        = 
| president       = 
| head_label      = 
| head            =  Lindsay Pamphilon
| r_head_label    = 
| r_head          = 
| chair_label     = 
| chair           = 
| founder         = 
| specialist      = 
| address         = Selsdon Park Road (A2022)
| city            = [[South Croydon]]
| county          = [[Greater London]]
| country         = United Kingdom
| postcode        = CR2 8JJ
| local_authority = [[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]]
| dfeno           = 306/8601
| urn             = 130434
| ofsted          = yes
| staff           = 
| enrolment       = 1,800+ (2017)<ref>[https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2735743 John Ruskin College] Ofsted. Retrieved 21 November 2022</ref>
| gender          = 
| lower_age       = 16+
| upper_age       = 
| houses          = 
| colours         = 
| publication     = 
| free_label_1    = 
| free_1          = 
| free_label_2    = 
| free_2          = 
| free_label_3    = 
| free_3          = 
| website         = {{url|https://www.johnruskin.ac.uk}}
}}
'''John Ruskin College''' is a [[further education]] college in [[South Croydon]] offering full-time vocational courses and apprenticeships as well as part-time courses for adults.

In 2019, following a merger with ''East Surrey College'' incorporating ''Reigate School of Art,'' John Ruskin College became part of '''Orbital South Colleges'''.

John Ruskin College is located on Selsdon Park Road (A2022), close to the A212 roundabout. The College is accessible by tram via Gravel Hill tram stop, as well as various local bus services.

==History==
===Early years===
John Ruskin College was a former school in the [[London Borough of Croydon]], which started life in 1920 as the '''John Ruskin Boys' Central School'''. Its location was ''Scarbrook Road'', Croydon. Named after [[John Ruskin]], it opened on 12 January 1920. The '''Lady Edridge School''', its sister school for girls (later to become a grammar school in 1951) opened the same day. Lady Edridge was wife of a Mayor of Croydon and the first "Lady Freeman" of the Borough. It closed in 1980 and was demolished.

===Grammar and comprehensive school===
In 1935 the school moved to Tamworth Road, and in April 1945 it was granted [[grammar school]] status as the '''John Ruskin Grammar School for Boys''' (JRGS). It had been previously the John Ruskin Selective Central School. It moved to ''Upper Shirley Road'', [[Shirley, London|Shirley]], in 1955, and was retitled the '''John Ruskin High School''' in 1971 before later becoming a 14-18 Co-Educational Comprehensive School. It was demolished in 1991. The Upper Shirley Road site surrounded the [[Shirley Windmill]], a 19th-century [[tower mill]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The history of Shirley Windmill|url=https://www.shirleywindmill.org.uk/history|publisher=Friends of Shirley Windmill|access-date=27 May 2015}}</ref> The upper forms transferred to [[Selsdon]] to form the present '''John Ruskin College''', utilising the premises previously known as '''John Newnham Secondary Selective School''', named after a 20th-century town clerk of the old [[County Borough of Croydon]].

===The current College===
The current College was established in 1988 following re-organisation of post-16 studies in Croydon. It merged with [[East Surrey College]] in February 2019, creating Orbital South Colleges group.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.esc.ac.uk/news/orbitalsouthcolleges |title=East Surrey College and John Ruskin College Merger Confirmed - East Surrey College |website=www.esc.ac.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517212427/https://www.esc.ac.uk/news/orbitalsouthcolleges |archive-date=2021-05-17}}</ref>

==Courses==
A range of Full-time vocational courses are available for students:

* Access to Higher Education
* Applied Science
* Aviation, Travel & Tourism
* Business, Accounting & IT
* Construction
* Creative Arts (Digital Media, Games Design, Art, Design, Photography)
* Early Years & Childcare
* Engineering
* ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
* Hair & Beauty and Spa
* Health & Social Care 
* Life Skills
* Life Skills SEND
* Public Services
* Sport

The college also provides a range of Apprenticeship programmes.

==Notable alumni and faculty==
{{alumni|date=November 2016}}

=== John Ruskin College ===
* [[Feroz Abbasi]], a former detainee at [[Camp X-Ray]]
* The author and journalist [[Malcolm Muggeridge]] briefly taught at the school several times while a student, where his father, [[Henry Muggeridge]], was Chairman of the Governors
* [[Les Nemes]], bassist, who later formed [[Haircut One Hundred]] with [[Nick Heyward]]

===John Ruskin Grammar School===
{{see also|Category:People educated at John Ruskin Grammar School}}
* [[Mick Ford]], screenwriter and actor
* [[Roy Hodgson]], former [[England football manager]] until 2016, former manager of [[F.C. Internazionale|Inter Milan]], [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Crystal Palace F.C.]]
* [[Bob Houghton]], football manager
* [[Steve Kember]], footballer with [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]]
* [[Air Vice-Marshal]] [[Richard Lacey]] CBE, Station Commander from 1997 to 1999 of [[RAF Benson]], Commander from 2003 to 2005 of the [[British Forces Falkland Islands|Military of the Falkland Islands]]
* [[Lennie Lawrence]], football manager
* [[Alan_McKenna_(actor)]], Actor, Screen writer
* [[Ralph McTell]], singer-songwriter
* Sir [[Bob Phillis]], Chief Executive from 1997 to 2006 of the [[Guardian Media Group]], and since 2004 of [[All3Media]], and from 1994 to 1997 of [[BBC Worldwide]], and from 1991 to 1993 of [[ITN]] 
* Prof [[Terence Rabbitts]] FRS FMedSci, Professor of Molecular Biology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, UK
* [[Jamie Reid]], artist who designed the [[Sex Pistols]]' album cover for ''[[Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols]]'', and most of their singles

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.johnruskin.ac.uk John Ruskin College]
* [https://archive.today/20120118094436/http://www.edubase.gov.uk/establishment/summary.xhtml?urn=130434 Establishment: John Ruskin College] EduBase
* [http://www.terryism.com/phil/grammar.html John Ruskin Grammar School - Memories of the former school] The Terry Family
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110714070654/http://www.mel-lambert.com/Ruskin/Miscellaneous/JRGS50F_School_Performances.htm History of the former school] JRGS Alumni Society

{{Croydon B&S}}
{{Schools in Croydon}}
{{Universities and colleges in London}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Education in the London Borough of Croydon]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1920]]
[[Category:Further education colleges in London]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in England]]