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Description area
Dates of existence
History
A Training College for Technical Teachers was opened in 1946 at North Western Polytechnic in North London as part of the Ministry of Education's emergency scheme for training teachers. In 1950 the College was separated from North Western Polytechnic and maintained by London County Council. The College was renamed Garnett College in 1953 after William Garnett, a former Secretary to the London County Council's Technical Education Board. In 1963 Garnett College was moved to Roehampton, continuing to run courses for students training to work in further and higher education. The College moved into two Georgian villas: Mount Clare, which became the college's residential facility, and Downshire House, its administrative centre with a teaching block in the grounds. In 1978 Garnett became responsible for most of a further adjacent house, Manresa House, which was used for teaching.
By the 1980s Garnett College had about 500 students at Roehampton and about the same number studying part-time and attending various colleges in the south of England or Garnett's annexe in West Square near Elephant and Castle.The College ran a one year or equivalent course leading to a Teacher's Certificate for further education teachers, with some students full-time, others taking sandwich courses and some day-release students. Students were normally over 25 and already professionally qualified in the subjects they would teach or were already teaching. Garnett also offered a range of courses in teacher training unique to the College, leading to University of London diplomas, MA, or CNAA B.Ed. (Council for National Academic Awards). With a student-staff ration of 8 to 1 the college was considered expensive to maintain, and was one of only four further education teacher training colleges in the country. With the support of the Inner London Education Authority, Thames Polytechnic negotiated a merger with Garnett College in 1986. By 1990 all the students from Garnett College had been moved to Thames Polytechnic's Avery Hill site and a new site at Wapping.