The inspection regime is being tightened up by Ofsted to keep track on rocketing numbers of college mergers.

Ofsted uploaded its revised skills inspection handbook, to apply from September, on gov.uk this morning.

The only reference to mergers in the old handbook stressed that newly joined-together colleges would “normally be inspected as a new provider within three years”.

The new document clarifies that that newly merged colleges will “normally” receive a “full inspection” within the same time period.

This, it adds, will apply to any kind of merger between colleges and the new institution will not be graded until it has had its full inspection.

The changes come in response to a huge escalation in the number of mergers being encouraged through the nationwide programme of post-16 education area reviews launched last Septemberwith nine partnerships involving 20 colleges finalised yesterday alone.

The updated handbook stresses that “a newly merged college will not carry forward any inspection grades from predecessor colleges”.

But it is a different story for sixth form colleges converting to become 16 to 19 academies, which it says will be inspected in accordance with their most recent overall effectiveness grade as a sixth form college.

The updated handbook also goes into detail about monitering and support arrangements.

“Any newly merged college or other provider deemed as a new provider may receive a monitoring visit or support and challenge visit to assess risk,” the handbook said. “Risk concerns arising from this or other sources could give rise to an earlier full inspection.”

Ofsted also stressed that it “may carry out such [support and challenge] visits where a provider has a new type of provision, such as new fulltime college provision for 14- to 16-year-olds”.

Mergers confirmed yesterday included those between Hackney Community College and Tower Hamlets College, City and Islington College and Westminster Kingsway College, and Shrewsbury College and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College.

Bexley College and Greenwich Community College formally merged with Bromley College, while South Worcestershire College also confirmed yesterday it was now part of the Warwickshire College Group, South Leicestershire College and North Warwickshire and Hinckley College completed their merger, and Barrow Sixth Form College linked up with Furness College.

A merger between New College Nottingham and Central College Nottingham was also due to complete yesterday, but neither was able to confirm this ahead of publication.

These came on top of three other mergers since the turn of the year.

Rotherham College of Technology and North Nottinghamshire College formed the RNN Group on February 1, Prior Pursglove College and Stockton Sixth Form College joined forces to become Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College on April 1, and Bridgwater College and Somerset College merged on June 15.

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2 Comments

  1. It will be interesting to see what happens. Mergers can sound like a good idea when some of the obvious benefits are highlighted, but it is far more complicated than it appears, from my limited experience.
    Distance between sites, how the curriculum offer is split, where the power-base and SMT is located, taking staff along with the idea, standardisation of contracts, rates of pay, job descriptions and a million other things become the focus.
    What is needed is more leaders with the skill set to deliver, to be in it for the longer term – not the quick fix and then move on. At the top end it is like a revolving door, Acting and Interim being common titles for the Principal etc.
    From the Oftsed reports what is needed is better, more effective, dedicated teachers who can turn around the maths and English crisis. Where are the committed engineers, physicists and chemists and mathematicians who will contribute to the production of the next generation? One hears that the investment banking and financial sector prove much more lucrative!
    Wilshaw talked recently about his support for UTCs but seemed to highlight the same challenges faced by the FE sector. About 0.5 require improvement, maths and English need improvement etc, recruitment of students is a challenge, lack of clarity about their purpose – academic/vocational. All in all another disappointing scenario so far with several closures.
    Mergers seemed to be in vogue about 20 years ago, when I was in the FE sector. It in my opinion has not worked for the 3 colleges involved, poor Ofsted, poor enrolments, reputation gone down hill, so many restructures it is ridiculous.
    Mergers then seemed to not be flavour of the month, but here we go again, another set of bright sparks revolutionising the system, when sadly perhaps the main issue fails to be addressed.
    One college I read about is focusing on 4 Pillars of Excellence, starting 2017, with an interim year before. Another set of youngsters perhaps being shortchanged, it will be approx4/5 years before we know if the Pillars are still standing, by which time the top team will have moved on!!
    Not the most positive of scenarios but c’est la vie.

    • A.Nonymous

      I am a middle manager at a Grade 4 college which is going through a merger at present and being “managed” by “interims” but still struggling to keep it’s head above water. Funding changes and staff restructures have meant that many talented staff members have left and leadership has been diluted over the last 3-4 years, causing a fall in quality of provision and crumbling systems which are poorly managed. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Bennett’s comments about the need for stability with SLT members but an underlying issue is the changing hoops to navigate from Ofsted. I wonder what the flavour of inspections will be like next year? What new hoops will we need to jump through at the expense of what we should really be concentrating on, which is the education and development of young people in the region?