Leicester Vaughan College
On 21 March 1862 a meeting was held at St Martin's Boys' School, Friar Lane, to discuss opening a reading room and library for men in the parish.
[4] From 1880 women aged 17 and upwards were also provided with classes, based in the Friar Lane school, and included reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, needlework, cutting out, domestic economy, geography, English grammar and composition.
An inspection report of 1917-18 found shortcomings, which arose from falling enrolment, due in some measure to the success of the day-schools over previous years.
Much of the 'traditional' teaching was taken on by an Adult Evening Institute set up by Leicestershire Education Authority, which still used the Great Central Street premises, while the College focused on higher level courses.
[9] The founding of a Students' Union and the Vaughan Society in 1931 expanded the social and sporting activities along with lectures, discussions, music, drama and a cinema.
Prof. A. J. Allaway was appointed Head of Adult Education in 1945, tasked with moving the Vaughan College courses to university undergraduate level throughout.
The question of where to move to was in large measure answered by Alderman Charles Keene, a University Pro-Vice Chancellor who was also on the City Council's Town Planning and Museums committees.
Vaughan College occupied the upper floor of the long L-shaped building of cream-coloured brick and concrete,[13] with impressive views of the Jewry Wall Roman remains and St Nicholas Church.
100 years after its foundation, the college had a modern, purpose built building, and a staff team providing full-time, day release and part-time courses.
Local artists could exhibit for free, in return for donating a picture, selected by the Warden, which joined an expanding Vaughan College permanent collection.
[14] In 1968 Prof. H. A. Jones succeeded Prof. Allaway, and in 1970 a widened subject range with a strong arts emphasis, plus social sciences, religion, local studies and geology.
The introduction in 1989 of a BA in Humanities provided he opportunity for part-time students, primarily being taught at evening classes, to obtain a University of Leicester degree.
[19] In June 2016 the University announced that the Vaughan Centre for Lifelong Learning was being considered for closure, with no new adult education recruitment for its courses.
It currently has a non-accredited programme of courses, an Open Research Forum, and is working towards offering fully accredited degrees in various forms of counselling and in arts, humanities and social sciences.
