Burnley College has broken its silence on the sudden departure of its principal, according to reports.
FE Week revealed two weeks ago that Karen Buchanan had left the post just before Ofsted came knocking.
Leaders and governors repeatedly refused to comment on the mysterious exit or say who was leading the publicly funded institution, and staff were said to have been “left in the dark”.
A statement has now been released to the Burnley Express, which said: “Karen Buchanan is currently absent for personal reasons. Kate Wallace will assume the role of interim principal and will provide leadership and guidance in this period.”
Burnley College has continued to stay silent when approached for more details by FE Week.
Buchanan began working at Burnley College in 1986 as a part-time lecturer and became deputy principal in 2011 before taking on the top job in 2017.
The college teaches around 10,000 students and is in a financially healthy position according to its latest 2024 accounts which show a £1.9 million surplus, £21.5 million in reserves and an ‘outstanding’ financial health rating.
Almost 700 people are employed at the college which was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in 2021, and last year self-assessed as ‘outstanding’ on the watchdog’s scale.
It boasts on its website that it is the “number one” college in England for 16 to 18 achievement rates on the government’s most recently published achievement rates table in March 2024, and claims to have held the position since 2018.
Wallace joined Burnley College in 2022 and was promoted to deputy principal in 2023.
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