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WOLSEY HALL, OXFORD

Beginnings Wolsey Hall, one of the UK’s first distance learning colleges, was founded in 1894 by Joseph William Knipe as Diploma Correspondence College just outside Bristol. In 1902 the college moved to a building next to Christ Church in Oxford, named Wolsey Hall after Cardinal Wolsey, Christ Church’s founder. The College took its name from its building and has been in Oxford ever since.

Vision                                                                                                                              Knipe’s vision was to bring education to those who didn’t have access to it, either because of work or domestic circumstances, and to provide a second chance for people whom the education system had failed. His vision coincided with the growing use of a new technology, the penny post, which made it possible to send documents such as lesson materials, via the postal service.

Courses Wolsey Hall has always prepared students for recognized qualifications, initially for the matriculation exams of the University of London and for teachers’ examinations. Later courses included those for GCE (later GCSE) and A-Levels, the external degrees of London University, especially the LLB and BSc (Econ), but also English, History, Theology and the Sciences, and many years later, in 1985, the first distance learning MBA in 1985 in conjunction with the business school at Warwick University. In the 1990’s, in addition to the MBA, Wolsey Hall provided management courses to a variety of leading organizations, including British Airways, the Civil Aviation Authority, Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Lloyds TSB and Shell Exploration and Production.

Today                                                                                                                                                      In 2009, Wolsey Hall continues to provide management development courses both for individuals and for organizations, as well as courses for general education and technician level exams. Increasingly courses are provided over the world-wide web.