Richard Huish College, Taunton
Richard Huish College is a further education and sixth-form college in Taunton, Somerset, England. Located on a single site in South Road, about a mile from the center of Taunton, it offers A-level courses, apprenticeships and vocational courses.

The college has around 2,000 full-time students aged 16–18 studying A Levels and BTEC courses, and 500 studying for apprenticeships and professional qualifications. A small number of GCSEs are offered for 16-year-old students wanting to progress to the sixth form.

History
The college was named after its benefactor, Richard Huish, a Taunton wool merchant from the 17th century who made his fortune in London. When he died in 1615, his will included monies to establish an educational facility in Taunton, which came into fruition as a grammar school for boys in the 18th century. Since 1979, Richard Huish College has been a sixth form college.

Campus

The college occupies a site of 8 hectares (20 acres), of which 70% is sports fields, in the south of Taunton. Its buildings, which range in age from 1880 to 2015, take their names from some of the trees that cover the campus. The site is alleged to have previously been an Aboretum.

Over the period 2000–2009, a variety of building projects resulted in the Willow Building, the Hawthorn Building, Linden, and in 2009 Rowan House. In 2003, the Learning Centre at the heart of the campus, which is named after the science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, a former pupil of Huish's Grammar School, was extended and completely refurbished.

In 2006 the sports dome was opened, which at the time was a ground breaking project for an inflatable dome for sports. It is due to be replaced during 2016, by a sports hall, including a viewing area, gym, changing facilities and a classroom. During 2015, a new cafe area and social space was built, including the first floor Redwood Suite. The cafe area includes a Costa Coffee. The Redwood Centre was renovated to house the drama and dance studios.

Curriculum
The college offers a large range of A Level and BTEC subjects. There are more than 45 subjects offered at A Level (Level 3). As well as traditional school subjects, many other A Level subjects are offered such as archaeology, classical civilisation, dance, economics, environmental studies, geology, government and politics, law, photography, psychology, sociology and statistics.

An increasing range of BTEC courses (Level 3 vocational courses equivalent to A Levels) are offered. They currently include applied science, business, creative media production, graphic design, health and social care/health sciences, information technology, music production, popular music and sport. A small number of GCSEs are offered for those wanting to progress to the sixth form. The College places a strong emphasis on the breadth of its enrichment activities for students.

The college also delivers apprenticeships and traineeships in the areas of accountancy, medical administration, business and administration, call centre operations, customer service, healthcare, IT user and IT professional, team leading and management, health and social care. At Level 4 and above, the college offers FdA and BA degrees in business and sports development and coaching, and professional courses in Accountancy (AAT, ACCA and CIMA) and Institute of Leadership and Management course (ILM). There are also short courses in computer skills and bespoke training services.

Exam results
The college's A2-Level exam results are as follows:

2003/2004 - 99.3% pass rate
2004/2005 - 99.7% pass rate: A-B: 71%
2005/2006 - 99.8%+ pass rate: A-B: 75%
2006/2007 - 99.2%+ pass rate: A-B: 74%
2007/2008 - 99%+ pass rate: A-B: 55%
2008/2009 - 99%+ pass rate: A-B: 69%
2009/2010 - 99.3% pass rate: A-B: 55.9%
2010/2011 - 99.4% pass rate: A-B: 58.8%
2011/2012 - 99.1% pass rate: A-B: 56.5%
2012/2013 - 99.1% pass rate: A-B: 55.2%
2013/2014 - 98.7% pass rate: A-B: 55%
2014/2015 - 99% pass rate: A-B: 57%

Notable students 
Gareth Andrew, cricketer currently playing for Oxfordshire, former player of Worcestershire, Somerset and Hampshire Cricket Clubs
Andrew Castle, former British number one tennis player and television presenter
Arthur C. Clarke, author and inventor
Stephen Daldry, film and theatre director. His films include Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002), The Reader (2008) and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
Neil Edwards, former Somerset and Nottinghamshire cricketer
Carl Gazzard, former County Cricketer for Somerset
William Gibson, professor of ecclesiastical history at Oxford Brookes University
Rebecca Huxtable, producer and co-presenter of The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1
Jack Leach, England international cricketer currently playing for Somerset County Cricket Club
Hannah McKeand, polar explorer who set the record for the fastest journey to the South Pole in 2006
Keith Parsons, cricketer
Michael Parsons, former player of Somerset County Cricket Club
Adam Pengilly, British skeleton racer
Andy Robinson, former head coach of the England national rugby union team
Edward S. Shire, physicist who co-invented the radar proximity fuse, also worked with John Cockroft and Ernest Rutherford
Sam Spurway, former cricketer
Paul Williams, Church of England bishop
Linda Woodhead, professor and academic specialist in religious studies at Lancaster University
Robert Woodman, cricketer currently playing for Devon County Cricket Club

Sport
Huish Sport runs a sports enrichment programme.  Each year, over 500 students participate in Huish Sport across 19 different sports.

Richard Huish College currently offers performance sport programmes for Cricket, Football, Rugby and Basketball. There is also the 'Active Huish' scheme which encourages students to take part in sports they previously would not have considered and also provides a more relaxed atmosphere in which to exercise.