A special educational needs college that faced closure following a surprise eviction notice has been saved by a £3 million loan from the Big Issue magazine’s “social impact” funding arm.
Great Oaks College has taught more than 100 students aged 19 to 25 with SEND each year since it opened at a purpose-built site in Hounslow, west London, in 2018.
But the college feared it would have to shut less than a decade after it opened when landlord Hounslow Council “unexpectedly” served it with two-year eviction notice from its £38 million home, which it shares with Oaklands School, a special secondary.
The notice was served just months after the college was judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in its first full inspection.
After struggling to find a suitable new building or secure a mortgage, Big Issue Invest, a subsidiary of the magazine, agreed to a £3.2 million loan from its ‘social impact debt fund IV’ to help the college buy and convert an office block six miles away in Sunbury-on-Thames.
In a statement about its relocation, the college said Hounslow Council “asked us to find a new home” due to increasing demand for secondary and sixth form special needs school places at Oaklands School.
Nickyie Thomas, principal at Great Oaks College, said she was preparing to “break the news” about potential closure after running out of options for a new site.
She added: “There was fear, anxiety, and the deep worry that without financial backing, all the good we had built could be lost.
“Securing this funding has not only safeguarded the future of Great Oaks but has laid the foundation for growth.
“I love what Great Oaks stands for—and even more, what it has the potential to become, now we have this fantastic new backing from Big Issue Invest.”
Big Issue Invest is a social investor set up to help social enterprises, social-purpose businesses and charities two decades ago by the founders of the Big Issue magazine.
The social impact debt fund offers organisations like Great Oaks College financing of up to £3.5 million, with flexible repayment terms at a higher loan to property value than bank mortgage funding.
The loan reduced the amount of deposit needed to buy the Sunbury-on-Thames site, which was advertised at £3.5 million.
James Potter, investment director at Big Issue Invest, said the company is “delighted” to have helped the college move to its new site and gain “long term security”.
He added: “This loan will remove the uncertainty and challenges of a short-term leased site and allow Great Oaks to own, manage and invest in its site, providing the students with the opportunity to make the most out of their time at the college, opening doors for their future.
“The outcomes achieved by the students at Great Oaks College and the difference the college makes to their lives is why Big Issue Invest funds projects like this.”
The college successfully applied to change the Sunbury-on-Thames building from office use to education late last year.
From September this year it will mainly operate from a smaller site in Hounslow, with additional space rented nearby, and hopes to move to the new site by spring term 2026.
Great Oaks College is a company limited by guarantee called the Great Oaks Charitable Trust, established in 2018 after a council-led construction on recreational land.
Samia Chaudhary, Hounslow Council’s cabinet member for education, children, skills and employment, said: “Great Oaks College has benefitted from a preferential lease arrangement at a local maintained special school, but were asked to vacate with a full two years notice; so that we can make good on our ambition to support more young people with special needs to be educated in Hounslow maintained schools.
“Investing in our local schools is only possible if we reduce our hitherto reliance on high costs independent placements.
“We must also strengthen the support young people receive to progress to independent living and work, breaking the carousel of specialist provision, post 19, that is all too often a feature of the independent sector’s offer.”
PHOTO: Great Oaks College teacher and student
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