Fonds RMCE - Rachel McMillan College of Education

Identity area

Reference code

RMCE

Title

Rachel McMillan College of Education

Date(s)

  • 1973-1977 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

1 box

Context area

Name of creator

(1914-1977)

Administrative history

Rachel McMillan was born in New York in 1859, the daughter of Scottish immigrants. On visiting Edinburgh at the age of 28, Rachel was influenced by Socialism and the following year moved to London to be near Margaret, her governess sister and also attend socialist meetings, write articles, and give free evening lessons to working class girls. The sisters moved to Bradford and joined the Fabian Society, Social Democratic Federation, and Labour Party. In 1892 Margaret with Dr James Kerr published a report on the health of elementary children in Britain and began campaigning for improvements. Rachel returned to London and was active in the Labour Party movement. In 1906 the sisters campaigned for, and had passed, the Provision of School Meals Act. In 1908 they opened the country's first school clinic in Bow and another in 1910 in Deptford as well as a Night Camp for children. In 1914 they started an open-air nursery & nursery staff training centre in Peckham which was accorded recognition by the Board of Education in 1919.Rachel McMillan died in March 1917 and the re-named Rachel McMillan College moved premises to Creek Road, Deptford in 1930. The new buildings housed students studying on three-year full-time courses leading to a Froebel Certificate. In 1961, at the invitation of the governors, the College was taken over by the London County Council (LCC). The LCC created an annexe of the College on the New Kent Road, which provided accommodation for part-time students studying nursery, infant and junior teaching courses leading to a London University Certificate in Education after a four-year part-time course. The New Kent Road annexe merged with South Bank Polytechnic in 1976 to become part of the Faculty of Education, Human & Social Studies. The rest of Rachel McMillan College merged with Goldsmith's College in 1977. In 1989 students and staff were relocated to the Polytechnic's main site.

Archival history

unknown

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Contains 2 prospectuses for the Rachel McMillan College of Education, 1973-1977 and a photograph of the building.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

None expected.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

The University of Greenwich holds minutes of Governors' meetings, 1930-1977.

Lewisham Local Studies and Archives holds a prospectus for 1930.

The London Metropolitan Archives holds the following records:

Photos, 1962-1985

Correspondence between the College and the Education Officer's Department of LCC, 1920-1946, (Catalogue Reference: LCC/EO/TRA/03/036-37).

Papers of the Governing Body of the College presented to Education Officer's Department, LCC, 1961-1965, (Catalogue Reference: LCC/EO/TRA/04/057-58).

Plans of the College from the Inner London Education Authority Architecture Department, 1963, (Catalogue Reference: ILEA/DBPS/AR/03/083) and 1971, (Catalogue Reference: ILEA/DBPS/AR/01/105).

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

GB-2110-

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

22/06/2020

Language(s)

    Script(s)

      Sources

      Archivist's note

      London South Bank University Archives Centre

      Accession area