Hastings Creative College in Town Centre
ROBERT BOUCNIK
Hastings Creative College (HCC) will take over the second floor of the old Debenham’s building from September. The college, formerly DV8 Sussex, Bexhill, provides vocational qualifications at Levels 2 (GCSE equivalent) and 3 (A Level equivalent) in Games Development, Music Production and Performance, and Film, Photography and Creative Media to post-16 students.
HCC has always seen itself as an antidote to bigger and more orthodox further education colleges, with less formality, smaller class sizes and a more supportive, personalised approach. Company CEO Stephen Jeffery explains the impact he expects the new college to have on the local community:
“We think with HCC in the centre of town, we can open up the area to grass roots creativity, e.g. music, art, gaming, as well as accredited and non-accredited education programmes. This we hope will encourage more engagement with local businesses and residents. We are keen to open our facilities for community use, and this is something we will be taking soundings on … with key stakeholders.”
The origins of the new college go back more than twenty years to a youth project in Shoreditch, where disaffected local youngsters were taught to DJ, mix and produce music in drum and bass clubs. The youth project moved to Brighton in 2002 and acquired formal status as an education provider under contract to the DfE in 2013, when English and Maths also became part of its curriculum.
After opening a second site in Bexhill in 2017, DV8 was taken over by the London Learning Consortium in 2020 and was rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2023. Student numbers have grown rapidly in response to the popularity and success of the organisation with GCSE results in English and Maths exceeding the national average over several years.
Lecturers are grounded in experience from their relevant industries, so work experience and connection with employers has prepared many students for a successful transition into suitable and fulfilling work.
Stephen Jeffery still heads the London Learning Consortium parent company and believes they have “significant experience of delivering adult education programmes and see this as another aspect of the services we could offer in the town. As in many coastal towns, employment is difficult and insecure for many people, but perhaps even more so for young people. There are several new qualifications and ‘routes’ being implemented over the next few years and we are planning to use these as opportunities to expand our provision. I am really excited about the new technical pathways being proposed by the DfE, and in tandem with increased devolution we are looking forward to widening our provision and services to both residents and employers.”
Although HCC will be on site in September, it will not be open as a college until the new year, and it is hoped the transfer from DV8, Bexhill will be complete by next Easter. Stephen Jeffery explains the plan is to complement rather than compete with the existing colleges in the town adding “HCC focus(es) where mainstream education has been less successful, with students that need more time, more support, a different regime of learning and thrive less well in larger educational institutions.
We also act as a conduit into accreditation and further education for young people who have been electively home educated. As an inclusive college, we welcome learners who have experienced barriers in their learning journey, whether that is additional learning or social needs, mental health concerns or involvement in offending; all applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis, often in consultation with parents/carers and other services.
Many young people need a different place to learn and a space where they are allowed to be different and show their talents and ambitions. We therefore have a ‘niche’ and sit within the FE ecosystem in a small but vital area.”
It is quite a story from humble beginnings to three thriving sites in Croydon, Brighton and now Hastings. The arrival of Hastings Creative College is a welcome boost for the town centre and for local creatives of all ages in the community who will be able to use its facilities and services.
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