Skip to content
21 April 2026

Tag: college mergers

London mega-merger to create England’s third biggest college group

Moves are afoot to create one of the largest college groups in the country by joining four institutions from across east London and Essex. New City College and Epping Forest College in Essex will launch a consultation tomorrow on their plans to merge from August. The group has also confirmed that it’s in discussions with […]

College that needed huge bailouts set to merge

A college that has received millions of pounds in government bailouts has announced plans to merge. Accrington and Rossendale College will join forces with grade one Nelson and Colne College later this year, under plans announced by the two institutions today. “We are delighted to announce the vision for a new merged college for Pennine […]

Merger bulletin: the colleges in need of a partner

The area reviews of post-16 education and training ended last March. They were designed to establish “fewer, often larger, more resilient and efficient providers”, but one year on from that final meeting of the steering group, there are more than a few financially challenged still struggling to find merger partners. FE Week looked at what’s […]

Bolton pilots new college-university merger model

A college is joining a university using an “innovative” new merger model that’s acting as a pilot for future partnerships between FE and HE. The alliance, between Bolton College and the University of Bolton, means the college, which has a grade two from Ofsted, will retain its own principal and governing board, giving it greater […]

College still allowed to provide apprenticeships despite ‘inadequate’ Ofsted

A college rated ‘inadequate’ for its apprenticeship provision more than seven months ago was given special dispensation to remain on the register of apprenticeship training providers. St Helens College (pictured) was given the lowest possible grade for apprenticeships in a report published last June, but has never been removed from the register – even though […]

Why are so many college mergers falling apart?

The area reviews are a disaster slowly unfolding before our eyes, claims Jonathan Brash, who believes the process was motivated by cuts alone Hopelessly flawed and done for the wrong reasons. That’s the only rational assessment we can make of the government’s ill-fated area review programme. Hartlepool Sixth-Form College was part of the first wave, […]

College caught on camera touting for rival’s learners

A college has been snapped touting for students right outside a rival’s campus – enflaming tensions sparked by a recent merger. Sunderland College’s advertising van, emblazoned with the words “Sure you’ve made the right choice? It’s not too late to change your mind”, was parked at a junction outside the main campus of its neighbour […]

West Midlands college merger bites the dust for lack of government cash

Another major merger between two colleges in the west Midlands has been called off, amid accusations that the government was unwilling to provide the necessary funding. In a joint statement, North Shropshire College and Reaseheath College in neighbouring Cheshire, said “unfortunately, long-term funding is not available” for a merger, even though they have “successfully worked […]

London college merger called off at last minute

A planned merger between two London colleges has been called off at the last minute, FE Week can reveal. Barking and Dagenham College and Havering College will no longer link up on August 1, Barking’s acting chair of governors has admitted. Mark Bass told FE Week that merger discussions between the two colleges “have for […]