Formed in 2012 by the merger of Filton and Stroud Colleges, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) was rated by Ofsted as ‘Good with outstanding features’ in 2014 and again in 2017.
South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) is a general further education (GFE) college in the South West region, offering a broad range of full and part-time higher and further education provision to over 8 thousand learners. (4000 full-time 16-19 year olds, 2000 apprentices and nearly 6000 adult learners)Apprenticeship provision at the College has seen a significant growth in numbers over recent years and facilitates intermediate, advanced and higher level learning opportunities across the majority of subject areas. The College works with major employers on apprenticeships include Coutts Bank, NHS, Dyson, Boeing and Raytheon as well as many local authorities.
The College provides one of the largest apprenticeship provisions in the south-west.
The College offers a range of Higher Education Courses delivered in partnership with the University of Gloucestershire alongside Pearson HND/C and Higher Apprenticeship programmes and over 600 learners study at levels 4, 5 and 6.
The College’s provision spans all 15 subject sector areas (SSAs) and includes programmes for pre-16 year old learners, adults and learners with learning difficulties or disabilities and for those with education, health care plans.
The College works in partnership with numerous organisations including the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the newly formed West of England Combined Authority, GFirst and West of England Local Enterprise Partnerships, South Gloucestershire Council, Stroud District Council and many schools and colleges across the region. The College proactively engages with over 1000 businesses.
Over the past 15 years the College has invested over £50 million to enhance the College’s estate and has established a national and international reputation in the development of sport through our Bristol Academy of Sport based at the WISE Campus.As a College we are proud to support the communities that we serve and we are sponsors of the SGS Academy Trust, which currently includes the Forest High School (a secondary school in the Forest of Dean), the Pegasus Academy (a new, all-through, free school for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and the SGS Berkeley Green UTC (a new school specialising in Advanced Engineering and Digital learning).
The College’s four main campuses are located within the Stroud District of Gloucestershire and on the border of South Gloucestershire and north Bristol. In respect of most socio-economic indicators South Gloucestershire is a prosperous area, although pockets of severe deprivation exist in urban areas including within the City of Bristol. Progress 8 attainment and the proportion of GCSEs, grades 9 to 4, including English and mathematics, for school pupils is below the national average both for South Gloucestershire and Bristol. The College’s local communities are diverse, spread across rural Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, through to highly urbanised areas in Bristol.
The College purchased in 2015 the former delicensed nuclear laboratories in Berkeley Gloucestershire on a 999 year lease from the NDA in order to develop the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park. Supported by GFIRST LEP, the College has secured over £30million of capital investment onto this site to develop a centre for Engineering and Cyber Security including a University Technical College (opened 2017).
The College operates a group structure, the SGS Group.
The Chief Executive of the Group is Kevin Hamblin who is accountable for the College and also the SGS Academy Trust. Sara-Jane Watkins is the College Principal and leads on all education and delivery across the College.
