impington village college
The village college could lie athwart the daily lives of the community it
served; and in it the conditions would be realised under which education would
not be an escape from reality, but an enrichment and transformation of it. For
education is committed to the view that the ideal order and the actual order can
ultimately be made one. HENRY MORRIS Impington Village College opened its doors
in 1939 within days of the declaration of World War II. It was the fourth
Village College to be established in Cambridgeshire by the visionary
educationalist Henry Morris, who firmly believed that both formal and informal
education should be a lifelong process, a vision that carved an innovative new
approach for education. This remains extremely important today as the founding
ideas and principles remain embedded within the fabric of Impington Village
College, and we aspire to uphold Henry Morris’ vision. Our College is open to
the whole community; as well as an excellent education for students from Years 7
to 13, we offer a variety of adult education courses and workshops. The
foundation of Impington Village College was made possible through the foresight
and generosity of the Chivers family, who donated land, support and finance. The
original building was designed by Walter Gropius, founder of The Bauhaus School
of Architecture, and his partner Maxwell Fry. The iconic design was a radical
departure from the taut educational establishments of the Victorian era, and
introduced many innovations that had not been seen before. The original
construction, which is now Grade 1 Listed, still stands at the heart of the
College and continues to attract visitors from all over the world.
