A college which served as a naval base during the Second World War is celebrating its 80th anniversary.

Waltham Forest College was established in 1938 in an art deco building in Walthamstow’s Forest Road and had a number of names since, including South West Essex Technical College and School of Art.

It has evolved from a technical college to a further education institution delivering hundreds of courses ranging from pre-entry to level five courses and apprenticeships.

Built in the 1930s, the locally listed Georgian-style building which served as HMS Shingle during WWII, is now in need of repairs.

Principal Dr Joy Kettyle said the college will use the anniversary to launch a campaign to improve the façade of the iconic building.

She said: “Our beautiful façade and windows are tired and we want to improve things to leave a legacy for the next 80 years.

“I was reading about William Morris who endeavoured to protect beautiful buildings so that everyone could enjoy them, not just the wealthy people who could live in them.

“We will be fundraising and raising awareness with local politicians and people in the community.

“What I’ve sensed from staff is a tremendous sense of pride.”

Staff celebrated with a party on Thursday, July 12, and will continue the celebrations with a number of events over the coming year.

The campaign will focus on refurbishing the original windows at the front of the building and preserving the columns and portico to retain the historic place of learning.

The college, which has more than 4,500 students on its register, last year added a state-of-the-art STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) centre to its campus.

Dr Kettyle said she is determined to improve the college’s Ofsted rating in it’s next inspection, due in 2021, and is focusing on “reaching excellence” in departments such as catering, hospitality, construction, digital and health.

She said: “I want to continue the college’s journey from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ to provide benefits for staff and students.

“Together we will build on the college’s collaborative culture and its focus on the community.”

She added: “It’s not just young people we’re helping, it’s adults too by reskilling them or upskilling to ensure that people don’t come into the borough to take jobs because we can provide those people here.

“It’s a place where students can feel safe. It’s quite a transient community here (in Waltham Forest) and we can help people by being a really stable place.”