Bishop Burton College celebrating 70 years of delivering specialist education

Bishop Burton College is celebrating seven decades of providing specialist land-based education in East Yorkshire.

The college, near Beverley, is marking its 70^th anniversary this academic year.

Bishop Burton, which specialises in agriculture, engineering, equine and sport, will be hosting a huge event open to the public in the spring to celebrate the milestone.

Principal and CEO Danny Metters said the platinum anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on the college’s proud history, acknowledge its evolution, and look forward to a bright future.

He said: “It’s a massive and hugely significant milestone for us, and one we’re very excited to celebrate with all our students, staff, partners and stakeholders.

“It gives us a chance to look back on what we’ve achieved for our students and our community, focus on who we are as an organisation at this point in time, and look ahead to move Bishop Burton onto the next chapter.

“Over the years, the college has evolved in a variety of ways but it has always been a values-driven organisation, putting students at the heart of everything we do, as well as our staff.

“That’s why we’ve now created a pledge of ‘students first, staff always’. Without students we wouldn’t have anyone to serve, and without the best staff the students wouldn’t receive the learning experience they deserve.”

Originally a purely agricultural college, Bishop Burton has diversified over the years, introducing different subject areas to its curriculum. It now offers courses at levels ranging from pre-GCSE all the way through to master’s degrees.

The college also runs commercial agriculture, equine and sports facilities, which provide students with real working environments in which to develop and hone the skills they need for successful careers in their chosen subject.

Bishop Burton attracts students regionally, nationally and internationally for its specialist provision and delivery.

Danny said: “The anniversary highlights the college’s evolution but what’s remained constant is that we meet the needs of the community and industry.

“We’re also steeped in agriculture, and that’s something we’re incredibly proud of. In order to survive and prosper in this sector, we’ve had to diversify – which is what we’ve done with other subject areas – but we’ve always remained true to our roots, and to who we are.

“Our whole curriculum offer reflects and complements our land-based specialisms, and that will always be the case.”

There is now a keen focus on technology to enhance learning, as well as sustainability at the college.

“We need to ensure we’re meeting the needs of future workforces, as well as current ones,” said Danny. “Technology is going to be key to how we progress, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), for example, will provide new ways of learning.

“However, as a land-based college we pride ourselves on providing real working environments to produce a skilled workforce, and we’ll never lose sight of that.

“Sustainability is another of our key agendas, not only for our student delivery but also as a major organisation and employer.

“All of our programmes have sustainability and environmental modules that are contextualised to the subjects the students are studying, so they’re meaningful to them.

“We’ve also taken steps to reduce our own carbon emissions, including through the use of machinery on the farm to improve productivity, and by introducing environmentally friendly air source heat pumps to heat our buildings.”

The college, which is well known for opening up its expansive campus for large public events such as Lambing Sunday and Town and Country Day, is now planning a major event in May to celebrate its 70^th year.

“It will be an opportunity to showcase who we are as a college, including our great students, staff and facilities, and also our vital role in the locality as an anchor institution,” said Danny.

“It will have elements of some of the events we’re known for, and there will be a lot of fun. We’ll have more news on that soon.”

Ian Sackree, Chair of Governors at the college, said: “I’m delighted to be Chair at Bishop Burton during its 70^th year – celebrating seven decades of success.

“Whilst other colleges are older than ours, the significance of the role Bishop Burton has played since being established in the post Second World War era cannot be overstated.

“It was created at a time when our country was struggling to feed itself in an otherwise exciting period, with technology starting to develop at pace, impacting all industries – not least farming.

“In many ways we face a similar situation today, with significant pressure on food producers against the backdrop of almost daily advances in the use of technology to increase yield and reduce both cost and impact on our environment.

“Bishop Burton continues to play a key role as the college of choice for many stakeholders. It remains at the cutting edge of the sectors it serves, working in partnership to teach the skills needed to manage animals and the land.

“Bishop Burton remains as important now as it was when it was formed, and we’re proud to continue our work with students, businesses and employers to ensure the agricultural and land-based sector has the skills it needs to both survive and thrive in the next 70 years.”