The Advisory Committees consisted of practical tradesmen and women who provided practical and specialist knowledge to teachers and assisted in finding employment for students at the end of their courses.
Every department of the Polytechnic of the South Bank had its own student society. The Environmental Engineering department formed part of the Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology.
Spotlight is a magazine for University stakeholders aimed at promoting the benefits that higher education can bring to businesses and the advantages of partnerships between the two.
The Confucius Institute at London South Bank University is the world's first Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine, established in a joint initiative between the University, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin Normal University and the Office of Chinese Language Council International, China (commonly known as Hanban). The Institute was set up in order to promote Chinese culture, with a focus on traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese Wellbeing.
The British Youth Opera (BYO) was established in 1987 by Denis Coe, to provide additional training and performance opportunities for outstanding young musicians and experience to young stage, design and costume staff. Company members aged 22-30 years are recruited nationally each year for a Summer Season which features two major operas performed at Sadler's Wells, London and in at least one other major city. The Company also appears in concerts, galas and other musical events throughout the year. Many former members of BYO are now principals with major opera companies in the UK and abroad. The BYO's rehearsal facilities are based at London South Bank University, formerly South Bank University.
In 1965 responsibility for the College was transferred to the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA). Under Section 1 of the Education (No.2) Act, 1968, the Governing Body consisted of nineteen people. Thirteen were appointed by ILEA, the principal and deputy principal were ex-officio members and there were four co-opted members from the field of education and teaching. The governors oversaw the conduct of the College and all proposals affecting the general conduct and educational policies were submitted to the Governors.
Manor House Magazine was the College magazine for Battersea Training College of Domestic Science. Its first publication was in 1952.
The GLAWARS was set up in April 1984 during the height of the Cold War by the Greater London Council (GLC) to investigate the impact of a nuclear or conventional war on London. To date the GLAWARS has been the most extensive scientific investigation of possibilities for civil protection and civil defence of a metropolitan area in a modern war.
During 1979 the Government's perceived lack of readiness for such attack pushed the Home Office into publishing in May 1980 a public information series called 'Protect and Survive' on civil defence. It was intended to inform British citizens on how to protect themselves during a nuclear attack, and consisted of a mixture of pamphlets, radio broadcasts, and public information films. However many thought the publication misleading when confronted by the real outcome of nuclear war. In 1983 the GLC was required to draw up civil defence plans for the city under the Civil Defence Regulations and asked the Government for more information about the scale and nature of any likely attack, but met a refusal from the Home Office.
In 1984 Ken Livingstone's GLC commissioned the GLAWARS research project to consider the effect of an attack on London and Londoners. The brief was to establish how London would cope with an all-out attack, nuclear or otherwise, and what would happen to the capital's residents, the food, the water, roads, railways, houses and hospitals. The GLC appointed an international Commission of five experts guiding the direction of the study who were Dr Anne Ehrlich (Stanford University USA), Dr S William Gunn (International Red Cross/Head of Emergency Relief Operations, World Health Organisation), Dr Stuart Horner (DMO, Croydon Health Authority/British Medical Association Council Member), Vice-Admiral John M Lee (Assistant Director, US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, retired) and Dr Peter Sharfman (US Congress Office of Technology Assessment).
At the same time, the GLC commissioned the Polytechnic of the South Bank (now London South Bank University) to carry out the GLAWARS study, under the overall direction of the Commission. In all 44 expert authors, including scientists, military experts and disaster-relief specialists, mostly from outside the Polytechnic, produced 33 separate research papers on topics such as Emergency Nursing Services, Nuclear Blast and Building Stress, Communication Destruction and Food Pollution. The researchers took as the basis of their report, five scales of nuclear attack ranging from eight megatons dropped on Britain by bombers carrying nuclear bombs and air-to-surface missiles to 10-35 megatons targeted on London alone by SS20 missiles. The report also addressed the possibility of a conventional, non-nuclear attack on London's services.
The final horrifying results were presented to the GLC in early 1986 and were subsequently published in June 1986 in a 397-page book entitled 'London Under Attack: The Report of the Greater London Area War Risk Study'. The book was highly critical of Government and Home Office policy on civil defence and with its specific and merciless statistics destroyed the fairy tale of survival after a nuclear attack. "The prospect facing those who initially survived would be fear, exhaustion, disease, pain and long, lonely misery. Avoiding a nuclear war is still the only way of avoiding this fate", warns the Report. The depth and breadth of the conclusions of the GLAWARS went far beyond any investigation previously available to any official body, country or organization, and have since been found applicable to most major urban centres.
The Language and Literacy Unit (LLU) was founded in 1974 by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) as an advisory centre to the inspectorate in response to the Right to Read Campaign. The Unit led the development of literacy provision for adults across London throughout the 1970s. During this period an ESL (English as a Second Language) co-ordinator was appointed to develop ESL provision in London.
During the 1980s the LLU expanded its work to include specific learning difficulties, adult numeracy and Afro-Caribbean language and literacy. The specific learning difficulties service later became known as adult dyslexia support. The Unit's co-ordinator post was the first in the country to address these problems in adults. The Unit also worked on specific projects, including the Afro-Caribbean Language & Literacy Project (ACLLP), begun in 1984. Funding for the project was made available through Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 and the project was shaped around classroom-based staff development. It developed approaches to Creole and Caribbean Languages, encouraging people to value their linguistic heritage and in many cases see their languages written down for the first time. The Language and Maths Project, also run with Section 11 funding, was set up in 1986 to specialise in numeracy and the project developed the first adult numeracy training course in London.
Due to the abolition of ILEA in 1990 the LLU was statutorily transferred to the London Borough of Southwark on condition that 50% of the income be generated by staff, the remaining 50% being covered by Section 11 funding. The launch of the Unit in its new premises, a portakabin in the grounds of Southwark College, took place in June 1989.
During the 1990s the LLU furthered its work in the local community, working particularly with family learning, originally known as PACT work, subsequently developing training for family learning staff. In 1991 the LLU organised the first national numeracy conference and led the first nationwide project: Developing Learning Support for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities. This pioneered the first accredited teacher training course in diagnosing and teaching dyslexic adults.
The 1990s were a period of change. In 1991, after it was announced that the LLU was to lose its Section 11 funding, the Unit began to compete for and win large contracts through competitive tendering. Funding for research and development was also gained from charitable trusts such as the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. In 1992 the LLU became an income generating unit of Southwark College and the following year moved to new premises on Queen's Road where it stayed until a moved to the Southampton Way branch of Southwark College in 1997. In order emphasis the work done outside Southwark in the rest of London and nationally, the Unit changed its name to the London Language and Literacy Unit (LLLU) in 1996. In September 1998 the Unit transferred to South Bank University into offices in Caxton House. The LLLU sat outside the University's faculty structure and was an income generating unit expected to cover its own costs. It provided roughly sixty days consultancy and training to the University in lieu of overheads.
From 2000 the Unit had an increasingly national role as a result of the Moser Report into basic skills in the implementation of a number of government strategies. These included Skills for Life, the government's adult literacy and adult numeracy strategy and Access for All, guidance for students with learning difficulties and disabilities. The Unit was the lead partner in the National ESOL Training and Development project and initiated government funded projects in using learning styles to improve language and learning in further education, work-based and family learning. The Unit also had a growing international reputation, leading to an increasing number of high-level delegations visiting from abroad.
The Unit launched the National Numeracy Centre in 2003 with funding from the Central London Learning & Skills Council and that same year changed its name to LLU+. The plus sign indicated the Unit's many areas of specialism such as numeracy, family learning, community development and adult dyslexia support. 2003 also saw the creation of the Central London Professional Development Centre in the Keyworth Centre at London South Bank University, which included the numeracy centre and a new multi-sensory learning centre. The Centre was re-launched when LLU+ moved to Pocock House in 2005. A final move, this time to Eileen House at London South Bank University occurred in 2010. In 2011 London South Bank University decided to close LLU+, a decision which was endorsed by the Board of Governors and which took effect on 31 July 2011.
In order to carry on the work of LLU+ some former staff members have since set up Learning Unlimited (LU) at the Institute of Education.
The FEALDS Network was a dyslexia programme.
The Executive Committee manages the daily running of the Union and all student activities.
Architectural firm
The first Excellence in Education Awards were held in 2013. The awards were introduced to celebrate teaching and support staff who had made a positive impact on students' learning experiences. 245 individuals were nominated by students across seven categories. The seven categories for nomination were: Outstanding Lecturer; Personal Tutor; Supervisor of the Year; Best Academic Feedback; Outstanding Student Support; Exceptional Support beyond Teaching; Outstanding Course Rep. The awards ceremony was held in Edric Hall on Tuesday 23 April at 5pm.
The Board of Governors was constituted by the Minister of Education to 'establish a Foundation with the principal object of maintaining a College for providing technical education and research in connection with heating, ventilating, refrigeration and fan engineering' (Declaration of Trust, NC/1/4). The original Board of Governors, appointed by the Minister of Education, had representation from the three industries, the Governors of the Borough Polytechnic and other interests as follows:
Four nominated by the Association of Heating, Ventilating and Domestic Engineering Employers;
Two by the British Refrigeration Association;
Two by the Institute of Refrigeration;
Four by the Fan Manufacturers' Association, Ltd.;
One by the National Union of Operative Heating and Domestic Engineers and General Metalworkers;
Two by the Trades Union Congress;
Four by the Governing Body of the Borough Polytechnic;
Two by London County Council as Local Education Authority;
One by the University of London; and
One by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The first chairman of the Governors was Hubert A. Secretan, future Chair of the Governors of the Borough Polytechnic. He was replaced in 1962 by John W. Cooling, one of the founding governors, who remained chairman until 1970.
The Board of Governors, in co-operation with the Governing Body of the Borough Polytechnic, were responsible of the development of the work of the College, including the selection and admission of students, maintenance of buildings and equipment, organisation, staffing and general administration. It had the right to appoint committees and at its first meeting of 20 January 1948 it appointed two committees: the Finance and General Purposes Committee and the Education Committee.
The last meeting of the Board was held on 3 July 1970.
The Finance and General Purposes Committee was set up at the first Board of Governors' meeting on 20 January 1948 to look after the general management and financial control of the College. It consisted of six ordinary members with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Governing Body both as ex-officio members. Geoffrey Woods was elected as Chairman at the Committee's first meeting of 13 February 1948. The last meeting was held on 11 July 1969.
H. R. F. Bulletin was produced by the National College and contained abstracts of articles concerning heating, refrigeration and fan engineering from trade journals.
The Education Board of the Heating and Ventilating Industry was set up by the Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (I.H.V.E.) and the Heating and Ventilating and Domestic Engineers' National Joint Industrial Council (N.J.C.E.) in 1944 to act as an advisory body to the Industry on all educational matters. It advised on educational problems affecting the industry and assisted those engaged in the industry to obtain the best possible training. It played an important role in the establishment of the National College and its first chairman Douglas Ingall (also Principal of the Borough Polytechnic) became the first Director of the National College. The Board acted as an Advisory Committee to the National College since the establishment of the College in 1948.
The original Education Board consisted of four members appointed by the I.H.V.E. and four members appointed by the N.J.I.C. with up to three co-opted members. In 1962 this was increased to four co-opted members and four non-voting observers who were the Head of the National College, the Secretary of the I.H.V.E., the Secretary if N.J.I.C. and the Secretary of the Heating and Ventilating Advisory Committee of the City and Guilds of London Insitute.
A memorandum giving details of the history of the Board and its terms of reference was circulated before the 63rd meeting of the Board in June 1962, which concluded that the Board had completed aa the tasks assigned to it and that it was very unlikely that within the next few years any new major developments in technical education would necessitate action by the Board. It was agreed amongst members that the Board should cease to function.
Law 84 Limited was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary company of South Bank Polytechnic on 19 Oct 1988. It then changed its name to South Bank Poly-Enterprises Limited in February 1989. Due to the Polytechnic being granted university status in 1992, the company changed its name a second time to South Bank University Enterprises Limited in June 1992.
The principal role of South Bank University Enterprises Limited is to handle the University's enterprise activities. These originally formed four areas: consultancy, contract research, sale of materials and the letting of facilities. Since 2002 the company has been increasingly involved in intellectual property issues arising out of the University's growing research portfolio and the company's enterprise activities now form three areas: student enterprise; intellectual property and spin out; and revenue generation.
Being a subsidiary company profits are transferred under a deed of covenant to the University. The company is run by a Board of Directors and a Managing Director.
The House Committee was a sub-committee of the Governing Body. It dealt with matters relating to the buildings and facilities of the Polytechnic. The Building Sub-Committee was a sub-committee of the House Committee. The House Committee merged with the Finance Committee (LSBU/2/1/1) in 1966 to become the Finance and General Purposes Committee.