Wolsey Hall, Oxford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wolsey Hall Oxford
Address
Midland House, West Way Oxford , Oxfordshire , OX2 0PH England
Information
Type	Private school
Established	1894
Founder	Joseph William Knipe
Principal	Gavin McLean MA (Hons)

Wolsey Hall Oxford started way back in 1894. It's one of the oldest homeschooling schools in the world! They teach students from all over, in more than 120 countries. You can study subjects from primary school all the way up to IGCSE and A-levels. Wolsey Hall is based in Oxford, England, and is an official online school with Cambridge Assessment International Education.

How Wolsey Hall Teaches Students

Wolsey Hall Oxford is like a school without walls! It's a 'virtual college.' This means students learn online using a special website called a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The Story of Wolsey Hall Oxford

Wolsey Hall Oxford first opened its doors in 1894.

Early Locations and Growth

The school was in St Aldates, Oxford, starting in 1907. Later, in 1930, it moved to 66 Banbury Road, Oxford.

In 1942, during World War II, the War Office asked Wolsey Hall to teach members of the armed forces. It became a very important school for British soldiers during the war.

From the 1930s to the 1980s, Wolsey Hall Oxford also helped people get university degrees. They worked with the University of London's external degree program.

Going Global After the War

After the war, more and more people wanted to take courses. Many wanted to study for GCE 'O' and 'A' levels. They also wanted to get external degrees from London University.

Some of the old lesson notes from 1949 and 1950 are kept safe. You can find them in the Magdalen College, University of Oxford, Library Archive. This was also when Wolsey Hall became truly international. Many students from outside the UK joined, from places like Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya, and Canada.

New Ways of Learning

Many years later, in 1985, Wolsey Hall Oxford started the first distance learning MBA. This was a master's degree in business. They worked with Warwick Business School. In the 1990s, they used this experience to create management courses. Big companies like British Airways used these courses.

Wolsey Hall Oxford is seen as a pioneer in distance learning degrees. They started this type of learning before the Open University became well-known.

Leaders of Wolsey Hall Oxford

• Percy Knipe - 1945
• Ernest W. Shaw-Fletcher CBE - 1952
• Wyndham Milligan - 1968
• John Coffey - 1990
• Lee Wilcock - 2009–2023
• Gavin McLean - 2023 - present

Famous Students of Wolsey Hall Oxford

Many amazing people have studied with Wolsey Hall Oxford. Here are a few:

• Nelson Mandela – He was a famous activist and leader from South Africa. He studied for his law degree from London University through Wolsey Hall Oxford. He did this while he was in prison on Robben Island. It was very hard for him to get his study materials there.

• S.R. Nathan – He became the President of Singapore. He took a course with Wolsey Hall Oxford to get a better education. In his book, he wrote about waking up at 4 AM every day to study for three hours. Then he would go to work all day!

• Amelie Morgan - She is an Olympic Gymnast. Amelie homeschooled her IGCSE subjects with Wolsey Hall Oxford. This helped her have more time for her gymnastics training. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, her team won a Bronze medal. This was a huge achievement for the GB women's team!

• George Chambers - He was the second Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He came from a humble background. His education included a GCE course through Wolsey Hall Oxford.

• Sir Harold Evans - He was a British journalist and editor of The Sunday Times. Evans studied economics with Wolsey Hall Oxford. He was an RAF airman at the end of World War II. He mentions the college in his book, My Paper Chase.

• Ernest Cole - He was a photographer who fought against apartheid in South Africa. He wanted to be a doctor, but laws stopped black South Africans from getting that education. He finished a course through Wolsey Hall Oxford by distance learning. His photos are still very powerful today.

• Joe Lartey - He was a famous sports commentator from Ghana. After leaving the army, Joe studied with Wolsey Hall Oxford. He prepared for the Cambridge Certificate (O’Level). This helped him become a teacher for a short time. Later, he became a well-known sports commentator.

• Matthew Tawo Mbu - He was a Nigerian lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He became a Minister at just 23 years old! He studied with Wolsey Hall Oxford through postal tuition.

• David Martin (sociologist) – He is a sociologist and professor. Martin started his journey to become a sociologist by taking an economics course. He did this through Wolsey Hall Oxford's London University external degree program. He talks about it in his book.

• Emmanuel Afe Babalola - He is a Nigerian lawyer and founder of Afe Babalola University. Emmanuel Afe Babalola grew up in poverty. He enrolled for the Senior Cambridge School Certificate exam. He studied privately with Wolsey Hall Oxford. This was a very important step for him to become a lawyer.

• Rev. Prof. Allen Brent - He is a scholar of early Christian history. Brent left school at 16 with only a few qualifications. He later became interested in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Religious Knowledge. He studied these through evening classes and correspondence courses with Wolsey Hall Oxford.

• Canon William Purcell - He was a writer and BBC broadcaster. After working in advertising, Purcell took a correspondence course with Wolsey Hall Oxford. This helped him get into Cardiff University in 1931 to study English.

• Hansi Kennedy - She was a very important child psychoanalyst. Her career started with Anna Freud. Even during World War II, Hansi found time to study Maths, Biology, German, and English through Wolsey Hall Oxford.

• Chief (Dr) Kolawole Balogun – He was a Nigerian politician. After passing an exam, Kola Balogun studied for a Bachelor of Laws degree. He was an external student of the University of London and a correspondence student of Wolsey Hall Oxford.

• Franklin C.O. Coker - He was the first president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. Coker studied Commerce at the University of London. He used postal lessons from Wolsey Hall Oxford.

• Sir Satcam Boolell - He was the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius. He also served as Attorney General and High Commissioner in London. He taught himself using correspondence courses from Wolsey Hall Oxford. He got his London Matriculation in 1942.