Merger proposal consultation document. Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, Shrewsbury College and New College Telford

Merger proposal consultation document Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, Shrewsbury College and New College Telford February 2016

Contents Introduction 1 Context for Merger 4 2 The proposal 5 3 Vision for the future 6-7 For students 6 For the community and local employers 7 4 Future development of the College Group 8 5 Value for money 9 6 Benefits for students 10-11 For 16-19 students 10 For those not in employment, education or training (NEET) 10 For adult learners 10 For students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) 11 For higher education students 11 For all students 11 7 Equality & Diversity 12 8 Quality of provision 13 9 Impact on employers 14 10 Impact on the community 15 11 Impact on staff 16 12 Impact on competition 17 13 Strategic Leadership and Management 18 14 Appendices 19-26 Appendix 1 - Map of college sites 19 Appendix 2 - Curriculum provision 20 Appendix 3 - Indicative Merger timeline 21 Appendix 4 - How to respond to the consultation 21 Appendix 5 - College characteristics 22 Appendix 6 - Statutory notices 23 Appendix 7 - List of stakeholders for consultation 24 Appendix 8 - Response to consultation questionnaire 25 This document outlines the proposal for the Merger of Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology (SC) and New College Telford (NCT) into Shrewsbury Sixth Form College (SSFC) and the renaming of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College as Central Shropshire College Group. This document explains the rationale for college collaboration and the vision, purpose and future proposals for the management of the new College Group. The colleges believe that through a Merger that protects their current identities they can retain their distinctive appeal and in doing so can continue to provide Shropshire with specialist centres for academic and vocational education whilst increasing opportunities for students to study combined programmes. (When referring to Shropshire throughout this document we are referring to the ceremonial county, which includes the administrative areas of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.) Merger best enables the colleges to reduce their overheads and thus contribute to strengthening their ongoing financial health. Shropshire is experiencing a fall in student numbers which will continue for the next few years. The Government is reducing the amount of public funding available to further education at the same time. We believe our proposal will safeguard our colleges financial future and protect the distinctive nature of our curriculum and each individual college s culture. The merged College Group will strive to be outstanding in all areas, whilst adopting an approach to education and skills development which is inclusive; seeking to innovate, and be responsive whilst putting the student at the heart of everything it does. Together, we are committed to continue working in partnership with schools, other colleges, universities, employers, local authorities and all stakeholders; locally, regionally, and nationally. This initiative will create a college Group that can make a more significant contribution to the local economy and have more impact for students, employers and communities than can be achieved apart. The College Group will wish to contribute to the continuing development of both Shrewsbury and Telford. It is seeking to ensure that curriculum developments supports this and lead to an overall increase in the number of students studying within our towns. We encourage responses from any of our stakeholders, including students, staff members, parents/guardians and other interested parties. Details of how to respond are set out in Appendix 4. The two Statutory Notices are found in Appendix 6. Gail Bleasby Chair, Corporation of New College Telford Iain Gilmour Chair, Corporation of Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology Chris Fountain Chair, Corporation of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College 3

One Context for Merger Two The proposal Merger is now being widely encouraged within the Further Education sector. The Government s ongoing nationwide Area Review process is designed to create fewer, larger colleges. This proposal is therefore entirely consistent with the Government s agenda. The Education Funding Agency, the Government sponsor body for Sixth Form Colleges and The Skills Funding Agency, undertakes a broadly similar function for General Further Education Colleges. Both agencies have been kept properly appraised throughout the development of this proposal. Downward pressure on college funding will continue to provide little opportunity to reverse a declining financial trend. Merger presents the three colleges with the best opportunity to reduce costs without damaging the range and quality of courses available. The recent financial health of the three colleges has ranged from Satisfactory to Outstanding. Financial Due Diligence has been carried out on all three and the sensitivity analysis undertaken indicates savings will be required in the future. An assessment of quality of provision across the three colleges has also been conducted, based on Ofsted inspection reports. As with financial performance, the picture is positive yet mixed. Two colleges are currently assessed as Good while New College Telford is assessed as Requiring Improvement. Continuous quality improvement will become a key feature of the College Group s future development. The Corporations of Shrewsbury College, New College Telford and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College believe that the joining of three local colleges, will create a better learning experience and more progression opportunities for Shropshire s students, than they can do apart. experiencing a downward trend in Shropshire which is set to continue for the next six years or so. Colleges derive almost all of their income directly from student recruitment and so the anticipated decline in student numbers is expected to have a negative impact on the financial performance of all Shropshire post-16 institutions. The Corporations of all three colleges have accepted that, if they remain independent they would be unable to guarantee that the distinctive and high quality provision currently available would remain. The Corporations wish to ensure that significant choice remains available to all students within Shropshire and that the distinctive and specialist nature of college provision in the area is also protected. Initially, the Corporations examined whether a Federation model would best achieve these aims. Federation was attractive in that it offered opportunities for cost savings through shared services, while allowing each college to remain independent. But a Federation would be administratively complicated and would lead to a sizable increase in bureaucracy with limited opportunities to improve financial performance. The Corporations of SC and NCT dissolve and transfer their property, rights and liabilities to The Corporation of SSFC. At the time the Merger takes place the name of SSFC will change to Central Shropshire College Group (the proposed name change is subject to a separate process that is linked to this proposal). The merged College Group will have a new Governing Body and Governors from each of the three existing colleges will join it. A crucial part of this proposal is the desire to maintain and enhance the brands and ethos of the three pre-existing colleges. To that end, the new College Group will have separate site Principals who will each manage the curriculum operations and oversee quality improvements at each of the three college locations. Students will continue to apply to each college location separately, the premerger college brands and college names being maintained. The merged College Group will seek to bring together all support operations into new combined teams and will retain a Sixth Form College designation. The provisional date for the Merger is 31 July, 2016. In the event that this Merger does not proceed it would still be anticipated that NCT would merge into SC. This is predicated on the initial desire for NCT to merge into SC, a request which predates this three college Merger proposal. This proposal has been produced following a significant amount of prior work. Each college has undertaken its own individual assessment of its future prospects. This has by necessity included an analysis of expected further reductions in Government funding and anticipation of the continuing decline in the financial health of the UK College Sector. For these reasons, in September 2015, NCT approached SC requesting we consider merging. During October discussions have continued with all three colleges to ascertain if there was a possible Merger proposal that would allow us to continue to work together to achieve our collective aims. It is this proposal on which we seek consultation. While the number of students leaving school fluctuates from year to year we are currently 4 5

Three Vision for the future The vision is to create a new sixth form college that will consolidate the best practices of both Sixth Form Colleges and the General Further Education College to deliver high quality education, training and skills development for all students and stakeholders. For its students, the College Group will: Allow the Sixth Form Colleges in Shrewsbury and Telford to specialise and thus focus on being exceptionally high performing Advanced level centres for academically motivated students in Shropshire and beyond. Develop a Vocational Centre of Excellence for young people at the existing Shrewsbury College campus on London Road, with complementary provision in Telford. Further enhance the colleges as major providers of Apprenticeship provision and enable new curriculum to be created, particularly in niche areas that link to the region s aspirations for economic growth, and in relation to Higher Apprenticeships for academic students wanting to combine HE study with meaningful local employment. Build on over 25 years of experience in delivering higher education in Shropshire to develop new higher education opportunities both independently and in collaboration with local universities, including University Centre Shrewsbury. Extend the adult higher and further education curriculum currently available in Shrewsbury into Telford and the West Midlands. Prepare and support students for working in national and international labour markets either directly or via university and Higher Apprenticeships. Provide students with a fully impartial Information Advice and Guidance service, where the needs of the student rather than institutional benefit is the priority. For its community and local employers, the College Group will: Support and work with The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the local authorities within the region to deliver skills improvement to the local workforce to enable growth of business in priority sector areas. Work with local employers to increase the provision of Apprenticeships. Extend the reach of the College Group in the surrounding area. 6 7

Four Future development of the College Group Five Value for money Overall, the College Group will deliver a broader, more co-ordinated range of provision for the benefit of our students, local communities, and employers. The College Group will stimulate increased participation and provide highly valued and significant academic centres of excellence in both Shrewsbury and Telford. Partnership arrangements with local universities and schools will be enhanced to provide the best possible curriculum for all students. As a Sixth Form College, we anticipate having the option to consider increasing our involvement in the academy movement based on even closer collaboration with schools. Likewise, work with employers will be developed to ensure this curriculum offer is fit for purpose and meets regional, national and international skills needs for the future. Apprenticeship programmes will be expanded and extended across a greater range of vocational sectors building on college specialisms and the good practice already achieved. The Merger will generate savings for each college centre by streamlining services through bringing together all support functions. Resulting economies of scale and efficiency improvements will produce savings that will be either reinvested back into front line teaching and learning, invested in college infrastructure and maintenance, or, can be used to help deal with the impact of future funding cuts. Value for money will be enhanced by consolidating the three colleges accounts, systems and processes. The Merger will protect the pre-existing identities of the three colleges, enable local control and will promote a consensual approach to curriculum change. In order to make the best use of assets to provide the best learning experience for students, there are expected to be some changes to the current curriculum offered. These changes, if approved, will commence no sooner than academic year 2017/18. The initial curriculum plan is included in Appendix 2. The most significant initial proposal, would be to move all the Art & Design provision, currently located at London Road, to the SSFC English Bridge campus at the old Wakeman School site in Shrewsbury. All Art & Design would come under the control of the Principal of SSFC and the English Bridge Campus (Wakeman Hall Building), would contain a large and vibrant specialist Art School located in the centre of Shrewsbury once again. Any efficiency savings resulting from curriculum change will improve value for money. Such changes are expected to be limited and sympathetic to the need for providing a broad curriculum offer across Shropshire that is accessible. Bearing in mind the rural nature of the county and travel to learn patterns, the colleges are currently investing significant sums into subsidising student transport and this should continue in the future. 8 9

Six Benefits for students The vision, mission and aims of the College Group will focus on the needs of the students, the continuous enhancement of quality and providing appropriate progression opportunities into employment and higher study. The harmonisation of key curriculum areas will enable the College Group to meet the emerging Government agenda to support increased curriculum specialisation in a clear and consistent way and to ensure that policy directives and targets for apprentices, Adult, 14-19 and Higher Education are met. For 16-19 students The College Group will increase the number of progression pathways available to students and help them to meet their individual aspirations. There will be increased emphasis on providing a well-designed, pastoral curriculum with guidance and enrichment to broaden student s experiences and assist all students to achieve and progress. Our most able and talented learners will be stretched, challenged and better supported to progress to their first choice destination. Student enrichment will be organised across the whole College Group, however, we will still enter sports teams from each of the pre-existing colleges where demand allows. For those Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) NEET young learners will be offered a route back into learning through the development of foundation tier programmes across the county. This will improve access and inclusion for all students particularly in the Telford & Wrekin area and will also increase post 16 participation rates. There will be increased opportunities for progression via Traineeships and Apprenticeship provision. For Adult Learners The focus will be twofold: 1. The College Group will build upon local priorities for those who do not possess the required employability skills or who have poor literacy and numeracy skills. 2. Through the expansion of Apprenticeships and classroom based learning, the College Group will increase its employer based provision to help meet the needs of the local and regional economy. For Students with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LDD) The provision of academic and wider vocational opportunities for LDD students will be expanded to aid entry to employment and further study. For Higher Education Students The extensive formal partnership agreements with local universities, which currently support curriculum innovation, will continue. These will aid progression for students onto higher education at the College Group and elsewhere. We look forward to working with the University Centre Shrewsbury, and our other higher education partners in responding to the needs of local students seeking access to and participating in higher education. Provision will be further developed to prepare students for Russell Group universities and to access support from the Sutton Trust (to enhance social mobility), and other specialist providers. The College Group will provide more progression opportunities for students as the combined higher education curriculum, will be marketed and available to students across all college locations. For All Students High quality Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) events will be further developed to ensure prospective students are aware of course options and progression routes both locally and nationally. Financial efficiencies generated will be appropriately prioritised towards supporting students facing hardship, particularly in relation to the increasing cost of transport and the decline in subsidies offered elsewhere. Because the premerger identities will be maintained students can choose the college site that best suits their needs and wants. The College Group will support the different cultures of the three college locations and will not seek to create a new monoculture. The introduction of joint timetabling will significantly increase student course options. All students will have a wider choice of A Levels and will also benefit from the opportunity to combine academic and vocational courses together across all college locations. Where appropriate and effective, the development of more digital forms of delivery and learning will be supported within a blend of high quality traditional methods, thus ensuring students can study effectively at times to suit them and away from the college campuses. Increasing the breadth of Higher Education provision from Access levels to Foundation Degrees will increase the number of local people participating and will increase progression into university and work. The views of students are essential and are warmly welcomed as part of the consultation process (see Appendix 4 and Appendix 8). 10 11

Seven Equality & Diversity Eight Quality of provision The College Group will continue to analyse all aspects of its provision to ensure that equality & diversity are embedded within its structures and build upon current achievements. It will continue and develop the current strategy of enabling young people from all backgrounds to progress to higher education. The Merger will bring a number of quality benefits by combining the best practices of the existing colleges with the overall aim to further enhance all the quality standards achieved by each; two of which are currently rated good by Ofsted. All colleges have achieved confidence in all themes by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Equality & Diversity are key to the College Group s vision and it will endeavour to: Ensure that equality and social inclusion is embedded into the curriculum and all aspects of the student experience. Promote equality & diversity among and within the staff body. Consult with all communities and stakeholders to ensure representation, and respond to those consultations in the spirit of equality & diversity. Ensure that equality & diversity is embedded through its strategy and operations and includes a range of impact analyses on College Group operations. The College Group will be in a stronger position to contribute to the achievement of government targets for participation and success as the greater critical mass of provision would allow a stronger focus on the needs of individual students. A multicultural student body will promote community cohesion through the opportunities to meet and study with students from other places and backgrounds. Principals at each college location will provide local accountability for the quality of provision for all areas of provision under their direct control. The Merger allows for two key quality initiatives: 1. Each college centre will deliver a curriculum that is more specialist and focused around current curriculum strengths. 2. The College Group plans all support functions centrally, thus allowing consistent and high quality support to be delivered locally. The College Group will remain committed to using self-assessment as a tool for quality improvement and will strive for continuous improvement in all that it does by: Designing programmes and services to meet the needs of students. Establishing separate Quality and Standards committees for each college centre involving governors, staff, students and parents, where applicable. Developing the professional skills of all staff, seeking and introducing best practice from external sources and sharing good practice and innovation within the College Group. Continuing to listen to the views of students, parents, guardians, carers, the community and other stakeholders by seeking feedback about our services and using this as the basis for improvement. Continue to deliver high quality support for all students and particularly for those as identified with High Needs. Continuously and rigorously monitoring performance and addressing any areas of weakness. Enhancing the responsiveness to employers, seeking feedback about our products and services and using this to improve provision. Sharing the best practices of quality improvement, teaching, learning and assessment skills. Benchmarking successful practice with colleges and other providers who are also noted for excellence in vocational and academic teaching and learning. Striving to become an outstanding provider as judged by Ofsted, QAA and other regulatory bodies, in a way that is consistent with our values and ethos. 12 13

Nine Impact on employers Ten Impact on the community SC has successfully provided training and other professional services to a significant number of employers in Shropshire and nationally. This has also been a growing and increasingly important part of the curriculum at NCT. The College Group will seek to broaden the range of services on offer and work with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to ensure that training in skills development is targeted to enable employers to compete nationally and internationally. The College Group acknowledges the critical importance of the academic curriculum to the future success of the local economy and the enhanced ability that Sixth Form College Centres will have in providing an increasing number of undergraduates and academic students seeking training with employment at age 19 on higher level pathways. The benefits of the Merger to employers will include: Improved employer engagement through the success of activities in business development, work experience and student placements. The ability to provide training on a more competitive basis, ensuring value for money for employers. The harmonisation and sharing of best practice across all delivery teams so employers can expect to receive the best quality of service. The improved care of existing relationships so employers continue to receive an individualised training offer that meets their needs. Increasing the scale of Apprenticeship delivery by widening the offer and increasing provision in Telford. All three colleges have a broad role in supporting the local communities of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Wolverhampton, Wales and beyond. The College Group will seek to enhance and develop this role. The College Group will be a major employer within the region offering employment and development opportunities. It will recruit and retain the best people to offer a quality service. The College Group will also have a major procurement role and while value for money will always be a priority, the ability to source goods and services locally will also be sought. Where possible, the College Group will seek to establish beneficial relationships that provide opportunities either for Apprenticeships or work experience within its own supply chain. There are a range of other community organisations the College Group will continue to engage with so that, where possible, training and skills development is provided through community venues and is accessed by students who may not otherwise return to education. The College Group will include a strong focus on local and regional priorities by: Meeting any skills deficit within the region. Contributing to local and regional economic regeneration. Meeting the priorities of the local and regional stakeholders and LEPs. Increasing the scale of Apprenticeship delivery and employment opportunities for college leavers. Delivering a greater focus on people and skills as identified in the LEP strategies for growth, including supporting emerging organisations such as Institutes of Technology. Consolidation and enhancement of existing training and services offered by the College Group, so a greater number of employers can gain access. 14 15

Eleven Impact on staff Twelve Impact on competition The three colleges are major employers within Shropshire and this will continue postmerger. The key delivery sites in Wellington, Shrewsbury - London Road, Shrewsbury English Bridge and Shrewsbury - Welsh Bridge, will continue to offer academic and vocational programmes for students of all ages. The creation of the merged College Group will necessitate the transfer of employment for all staff employed at NCT and SC to their new employer SSFC. All staff, including those currently employed at SSFC, will be involved in a TUPE consultation process that will explain how the proposed change in employer will affect them personally. It is important that our staff have the opportunity to shape these proposals. As two of the three colleges merging are currently sixth form colleges it seems sensible for the merged college to be designated as a Sixth Form College. The terms and conditions of employment for staff currently employed at SSFC would be protected as SSFC will remain, while the other two colleges will be dissolved. For staff transferring into SSFC from SC and NCT terms and conditions of employment would be protected through TUPE. Anticipated benefits for employees within the College Group include: Greater opportunities for staff to improve their skill base by working with new colleagues and accessing new partners and stakeholders. Sharing of best practice, particularly through our expert teaching practitioners, thereby raising the quality of provision for students and employers. Improved opportunities for staff to access a wider variety of continuing professional development opportunities. An improved programme of talent management opportunities for staff to enhance their management skills and personal profiles. Opportunities to work across all college locations. The colleges are entering into this Merger under the guiding principle that by working together they will raise the quality of provision and increase choice for local students, while becoming more efficient. The Corporations seek to ensure that each college location becomes more specialist than before and thus reduces the need for unnecessary competition across the region. The Government, through the new Area Review process, is seeking to reduce cost by removing unnecessary duplication. The Government believes that by the end of the Area Review process there will be fewer, larger colleges. The Corporations are seeking to ensure that Shropshire does not lose provision that will be hard to replace in the future. They are also mindful that large parts of our region are rural and thus any attempts to rationalise curriculum must take into account realistic travel times and distances across the area. This is particularly pertinent for Telford where post 16 participation rates are currently very low. It is important that the College Group works in partnership with other local colleges to ensure that a comprehensive and accessible Shropshire wide curriculum is provided. The merged College Group will encourage future new members to join if their addition would be consistent with our mission and would help to secure provision within the local area. The impact on the competition will potentially be very positive as any local college or school facing concerns regarding their own future viability would have the option of approaching the new College Group for guidance and support, within a framework specifically focused on meeting Shropshire s collective needs. 16 17

Thirteen Strategic Leadership and Management Appendix one Map of college sites In submitting this proposal, Governors from each of the colleges have considered the options and concluded that this proposal provides the best opportunity for students, communities and other stakeholders. In doing so they recognise that strong and committed leadership and management is required. Each Corporation has entered into these developments jointly and with a shared aim of producing the best possible results in terms of success rates, student destinations and experience, financial stability and the infrastructure to maintain facilities and provision to the highest possible levels. In order to facilitate the creation of the College Group, the three college corporations have created a Working Group with representatives from each college, to plan the Merger, manage risks and ensure a smooth transition takes place. The Working Group and management project group(s) will implement a detailed action plan to ensure effective transition takes place with minimal disruption. There will be full communication with students and staff to ensure a smooth transition and so students can continue with their studies unaffected. Students currently on programmes of study, regardless of duration, will continue to study their courses at the site they are at. Full-time students applying to courses for 16/17 start are guaranteed to start and end their course at the college they start at. Any changes to full-time courses will commence from 17/18 earliest. The College Group will implement a risk management strategy to monitor postmerger progress. This will ensure that all potential risks are analysed and resolved effectively. 1 Shrewsbury College 2 Shrewsbury Sixth Form College (Welsh Bridge) 3 Shrewsbury Sixth Form College (English Bridge) 1 New College Telford 2 National Hotel School 18 19

Appendix two Curriculum provision Following a curriculum review the new College Group would propose the following provision is located at the following college sites: 1 February 4 March 29 April 31 July Subject area Shrewsbury College Shrewsbury Sixth Form College New College Telford Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care Arts, (Creative and Performing) Music, Media and Publishing Business, Administration and Law Computing and ICT Construction, Planning and the Built Environment Education and Training Health, Public Services and Care Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Appendix four How to respond to the consultation History, Classics, Philosophy and Theology Languages, Literature and Culture Preparation for work and life Geography, Geology, Travel and Tourism The formal consultation will be held between 1 February, 2016 and 4 March, 2016. We will publish a report on the results within two months of the closing date. Please respond ideally using the online survey at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/mergerconsultation2016 Sport and Leisure enrichment enrichment Retail and Commercial Enterprises Hospitality and Catering Hair and Beauty Therapies Science and Maths Social Sciences Alternatively send responses to this consultation headed Consultation Response by email or letter to: publicconsultation@ssfc.ac.uk Or Consultation Response Clerk to The Corporation Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Priory Road Shrewsbury SY1 1RX Public Consultation meetings are being held in Shrewsbury and Telford. Anyone is welcome to attend, however admission is by ticket only which can be obtained by contacting publicconsultation@ssfc.ac.uk ßß Shrewsbury 22 February - 6 to 7.30pm Clayton Hall, Shrewsbury College, London Road, Shrewsbury, SY2 6PR ßß Telford 24 February - 6 to 7.30pm The Whitehouse Hotel, Watling Street, Telford, TF1 2NJ In the event that these meetings are oversubscribed, additional meetings will be added. 20 21

Appendix six Statutory notices New College Telford New College Telford is a sixth form college located in Wellington, Telford. It provides predominantly Level 3 academic provision (74%). Level 2 GCSE resit, GCSE restart and BTEC provision (20%) and a small amount of Level 1 provision which includes professional cookery, functional skills and new start study programmes designed to lead onto Apprenticeships. There is a small but growing Apprenticeship delivery, predominantly in Early Years and Childcare, Hospitality and Customer Service. The College provides Higher Education courses in Events Management and Music Production. There are currently 1148 students attending New College Telford (951 full-time and 197 part-time). Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a sixth form college located on two campuses in central Shrewsbury. The College specialises in general education for 16-19 year old students with particular focus on the delivery of GCE A Level education, BTEC Level 3 Certificates and Diplomas, and GCSE English and Mathematics. The College offers a small but important programme of Level 2 BTEC qualifications. The full programme of study features extension and enrichment activities including Music, Sport, and Drama disciplines. All students receive tutorial and careers advice and guidance. Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology is a General Further Education College located in Shrewsbury. It offers a broad curriculum for students of all ages at all academic levels. The majority of full-time students are aged 16-19, and the part-time students are overwhelmingly adult. The College is one of Shropshire s main providers of both Higher Education and Apprenticeship provision. There are currently 3907 students attending Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology (1721 full-time and 2186 part-time). Statutory Consultation Notice (1) Statutory Notice - Further and Higher Education Act 1992 Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology Corporation hereby gives notice in accordance with the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (the Act) as amended by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and the Education Act 2011 of the proposal that Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology Corporation, London Road, Shrewsbury SY2 6PR, be dissolved and the transfer of the property, rights and liabilities of that corporation to Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Corporation, Priory Road, Shrewsbury SY1 1RX. Dissolution of the corporation is proposed, at the request of the corporation of Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology, in order that the College may Merge with Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. New College Telford Corporation is also giving notice that it be dissolved in order that the College may Merge with the Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. The date proposed for the dissolution is 31 July, 2016. The corporation of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is separately proposing to the Secretary of State that the name of the College be formally changed to Central Shropshire College Group. Provision will be made for all 3907 students currently attending Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology (1721 full-time and 2186 part-time) who have not yet completed their courses of study by the date of the dissolution to complete their studies with Central Shropshire College Group. A copy of the proposal is available free of charge via email publicconsultation@ssfc.ac.uk and will be sent to any person who requests it. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, representations may be made by 4 March, 2016. Representations can be made in writing to The Clerk of The Corporation, Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology, London Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6PR. Statutory Consultation Notice (2) Statutory Notice - Further and Higher Education Act 1992 New College Telford Corporation hereby gives notice in accordance with the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (the Act) as amended by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and the Education Act 2011 of the proposal that New College Telford Corporation, King Street, Wellington TF1 1NY, be dissolved and the transfer of the property, rights and liabilities of that corporation to Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Corporation, Priory Road, Shrewsbury SY1 1RX. Dissolution of the corporation is proposed, at the request of the corporation of New College Telford in order that the College may Merge with Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology Corporation is also giving notice that it be dissolved in order that the College may Merge with Shrewsbury Sixth Form College. The date proposed for the dissolution is 31 July, 2016. The corporation of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is separately proposing to the Secretary of State that the name of the College be formally changed to Central Shropshire College Group. Provision will be made for all 1148 students currently attending New College Telford (951 full-time and 197 part-time) who have not yet completed their courses of study by the date of the dissolution to complete their studies with Central Shropshire College Group. A copy of this proposal is available free of charge via email at publicconsultation@ssfc. ac.uk and will be sent to any person who requests it. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, representations may be made by 4 March, 2016. Representations can be made in writing to The Clerk of The Corporation, New College Telford, King Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 1NY. 22 23

Appendix seven List of stakeholders for consultation Appendix eight Response to consultation questionnaire For the purposes of the creation of the merged college, we welcome views from the following stakeholders who will be formally invited to respond: FE and Sixth Form Colleges Schools and Academies Local Authorities Members of Parliament Skills Funding Agency Education Funding Agency FE Commissioner Marches LEP Shropshire Business Board Telford & Wrekin Business Board The Radbrook Foundation The Charities Commissioner Relevant Banks and Financers As part of the consultation process, we would also welcome views from any of the following stakeholders: Sixth Form College Association Association of Colleges Shropshire Chamber of Commerce Shrewsbury Business Chamber Employer Representative Groups Higher Education Funding Council for England Quality Assurance Agency Ofsted Schools Networks Staff Students Parents Third Sector Organisations UNISON Universities Universities and Colleges Admissions Service University and College Union National Union of Teachers National Association of School Teachers and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) We also welcome the views of any interested parties who wish to provide a response. Details of how to respond are set out in Appendix 4. Response to consultation: return to publicconsultation@ssfc.ac.uk Your details Name Organisation Position Email Q1 Are you in favour of the proposal to merge Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology and New College Telford into Shrewsbury Sixth Form College? Yes Undecided No Q2 Do you support the proposal that the property, rights and liabilities of New College Telford should be transferred to Shrewsbury Sixth Form College? Yes Undecided No Q3 Do you support the proposal that the property, rights and liabilities of Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology should be transferred to Shrewsbury Sixth Form College? Yes Undecided No Q4 Do you support the proposal that the new name for Shrewsbury Sixth Form College should be Central Shropshire College Group? Yes Undecided No Continued overleaf 24 25

If you have further comments, alternative proposals, or questions relating to the proposal, please add them here: 26

How to respond to the consultation The formal consultation will be held between 1 February, 2016 and 4 March, 2016. Please respond ideally using the online survey at: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/mergerconsultation2016 You can also email publicconsultation@ssfc.ac.uk Or write to the respective College at either: The Clerk of The Corporation, Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology, London Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6PR. Or The Clerk of The Corporation, New College Telford, King Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 1NY.