A Brief History

Sir Harry Smith Community College was officially opened in 1954, having been built on the site of the old workhouse. The College is named after the local soldier and Hero of Aliwal, Sir Harry George Wakelyn Smith, Bt., G.C.B., Colonel Commandant of the Rifle Brigade, who was born in Whittlesey in 1788 and enjoyed an outstanding military career.

Originally known as The Sir Harry Smith Secondary School and built to accommodate 600 students, the doors first opened to an intake of 360 students in September 1953.

A number of extensions took place in the years that followed, with major works in 2011-2012  as part of the Building Schools for the Future initiative.

More recently in 2023-2024 the college expanded further adding a new teaching block, extending the dining area and updating a number of rooms. This expansion is allowing us to increase the total number of college places to 1200 and the Published Admission Number (PAN) to 240 in response to current population growth and expected demand from the college’s catchment area.

On the pages to the right you can learn about the history of the College and view the transformation which has taken place during the BSF works and 2023/24 expansion.

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